by LIEUWE DE VRIES

Dutch attack helicopters operating in Mali flew into action for the first time on Jan. 20. The result was a lopsided victory for the Dutch, who are taking part in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country.

The battle occurred as separatist rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad—or MNLA for short—advanced on the northern town of Tabankort. The rebels used heavy weapons to fire on U.N. peacekeepers in the town.

The U.N. troops called in an Apache attack helicopter to provide fire support.

The gunship opened up with warning shots to deter the rebels, but when that failed, the Apache destroyed a vehicle the militants used to coordinate the attack.

At least five rebels died in the clash.

The gunship attack against the Tuareg rebels sparked protests the following day. A crowd—mostly women and children—took over an airport in the northern town of Kidal, about 100 miles to the northeast of Tabankort.

U.N. troops fired shots into the air, but this failed to end the protests. The peacekeepers received the order to abandon their posts, and the crowd burned tents and generators at the airport.

“They were violent,” U.N. spokesperson Radhia Achouri told Reuters. “They threw stones, they burned some assets.”

There’s also a reason why skirmishes are heating up around the town of Tabankort. The pro-government GATIA militia holds the town, and the MNLA wants to capture it.

The MNLA condemned the attacks by the Dutch helicopters, and declared it was evidence of direct support for the GATIA. Officially, the peacekeepers don’t take sides in Mali’s internal conflict. But the Dutch force can defend itself. The Netherlands has 450 ground troops, four Apache gunships and three Chinook heavy transport helicopters in Mali.