KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will be mobilising its personnel and assets to Somalia in a humanitarian mission to assist drought victims in the country.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the team comprising three officers and 17 staff from the ATM Royal Health Corp are now in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Also joining the mission is a support team from an infantry group to provide protection for the Health Corp personnel,” he said in a statement today.
He added a Hercules C-130 transport plane of the Royal Malaysian Air Force would be deployed to bring food and medical supplies.
Hishammuddin said the decision had received the agreement of the Cabinet after a meeting with Somalian Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omer Arteh Ghalib at Parliament House on Tuesday.
“In the meeting, he had sought the ministry’s assistance to channel food and medicines as well as ATM medical personnel to Somalia,” he said.
According to the Defence Minister, the armed forces staff in Riyadh would be mobilised as they had undergone training in Saudi city. — Bernama
