Task Force Takuba suspended – new challenges await the special forces

Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters – 25 April 2022 kl: 10.49
Archived news

The Swedish troop contribution to the French-led special forces mission Task Force Takuba in Mali was recently suspended according to plan. Sweden contributed with a heliborne quick reaction force for one year. From early November 2021 to early March 2022, Task Force Takuba was headed by a Swede, here referred to as Colonel Peter.

Multinationalitet. En svensk JTAC stödjer franska specialförband och konventionella förband under en operation.
Multinationalitet. En svensk JTAC stödjer franska specialförband och konventionella förband under en operation.
Multi-nationality. A Swedish JTAC supports French special units and conventional units during an operation. Photo: Försvarsmakten

Task Force Takuba was commissioned to accompany the Malian army in their struggle against Islamist terrorists in the Liptako region. The support was appreciated by the Malian army and the pace was high – when a special task group returned from one mission, the next departed with its Malian partner unit. The Swedish QRF was in constant readiness. The units were engaged in battle in nearly every operation.

Task Force Takuba was manned by personnel from ten European countries. Together with partner units in the Malian army, the task force continually disrupted opponent activities. As a result, one of the most violent groups was temporarily expelled from their area of operation.

In mid-February 2022, joint operations were suspended. The reason was the Malian junta's unwillingness to hold democratic elections and their cooperation with the Russian Wagner Group that had sent mercenaries to Mali.