Chinese and Nigerien peacekeepers evacuate an injured Nigerien peacekeeper with a stretcher during the joint defense drill in Menaka, Mali, on August 29, 2018. (Photo by Liu Xiaoshuai)

MENAKA, MALI, Sept. 3 (ChinaMil) -- To address the grim security situation in Mali's Menaka region, a contingent in Menaka assigned to the 6th Chinese peacekeeping engineer detachment to Mali carried out a joint defense drill with the Nigerien peacekeeping infantry battalion on Aug. 29, in a bid to jointly enhance the capabilities to deal with emergencies. Menaka has been on an "Orange Alert", a high-risk level, since the deployment of the Chinese peacekeeping contingent in early July this year. As of the end of August, there have been 21 terrorist attacks with more than 90 casualties in the area.

The joint defense drill was conducted against the backdrop of a terrorist attack on the UN camp.

During the drill, the Chinese contingent immediately judged the situation together with Nigerien peacekeepers after receiving a warning signal from the sentry post. The Chinese and Nigerien quick-response teams dispatched infantry fighting vehicles to support. The Chinese medical team rushed to the scene to conduct forward first aid and medical evacuation to the injured. In the meantime, the Nigerien peacekeeping infantry dispatched armored vehicles to the combat readiness areas of the UN camp for support.

Wang Yong, deputy head of the Chinese contingent, said: "In this joint drill, the Chinese and Nigerien peacekeeping forces successfully handled the sudden 'hostile situation' through intelligence sharing and joint operations. They also learned from each other's operational concepts. The emergency response capabilities of Chinese peacekeepers have been further strengthened."