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Canadian special forces from Petawawa are in Africa training troops as part of a U.S. exercise.

A team of around 20 individuals are involved with Exercise Flintlock 2018, which runs until April 20, said Capt. Sally-Ann Cyr, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, or CSOR.

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The exercise started April 1 and involves 1,500 military personnel from 20 African and western nations. Training is being conducted in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

CSOR is working with soldiers from les Forces Armées Nigérienne in Niger, said Cyr.

No other units from the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command are participating this year. In the past, helicopters from 427 Canadian Special Operations Aviation Squadron, also based at Petawawa, have been used during Flintlock.

Flintlock is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual special forces exercise.

Participating nations this year include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA.