Dutch defense minister quits over troop deaths in Mali

By Abdullah Asiran

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (AA) - Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert resigned from her post on Tuesday, claiming responsibility for the death of peacekeeping troops in Mali in 2016.

Hennis, who has been a caretaker minister since national elections in March, has been under pressure following a report last week saying that her department was responsible for an incident during military training on June 6, 2016, when a mortar killed two soldiers and injured a third.

The Safety Board of the Netherlands’ Interior Ministry published the report claiming that the Defense Ministry had let safety and medical standards slip in Mali due to strategic goals.

Hennis also announced that defense chief Gen. Tom Middendorp also was resigning over the report.