The Tiger type army combat helicopter with two pilots onboard crashed for unknown reasons around 12:20 GMT/UTC about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northeast of Gao in eastern Mali, the Bundeswehr said on Wednesday.

"Onboard the helicopter were two service members, who died in the crash," the Bundeswehr said in a statement.

The German soldiers were taking part in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The German military said UN forces had been dispatched to the crash site to carry out an investigation.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the helicopter had been monitoring ground "confrontations," which means the site of the accident must be secured before MINUSMA teams can access it.

Initial information suggests the crash appeared to be an accident and there were no signs of attack. German news magazine "Der Spiegel" reports that the Bundeswehr suspects a technical fault to have caused the crash.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the news of the deaths filled him "with great sadness" and that his thoughts were with the pilots' relatives. He also emphasized that Germany's mission in Mali was "an important contribution towards stabilizing the situation in Mali," according to a press statement.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen also expressed their condolences.

German contributions in Mali

Around 875 German troops are currently taking part in the 13,000 strong MINUSMA mission aimed at stabilizing the country and supporting a peace agreement between the government and rebels.

In January, the German parliament approved an increase in the number of German troops that could be deployed to Mali, upping the number to 1,000.

The decision came after the Netherlands pulled its own helicopters out and Germany decided to fill the gap by deploying NH-90 transport helicopters and Tiger type combat helicopters. The Bundeswehr contingent also includes transport aircraft, refueling aircraft, anti-personnel tanks, and unmanned drones.

In addition to the UN mission, Germany has about 350 soldiers based in the south of the country as part of a EU training mission for the Mali army.

Dangerous mission

Mali is considered one of the world's most dangerous UN missions, with more than 120 blue helmets killed in the past four years.

The country descended into a spiral of instability in 2012, when ethnic Tuareg rebels and other groups took advantage of a power vacuum left by a military coup in the capital Bamako to take over northern Mali in a bid for independence.

But the rebellion for Tuareg autonomy was quickly hijacked by Islamist militants, including al-Qaeda aligned groups. These were strengthened by a flood of arms, as well as the instability that followed the international intervention that helped oust Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

The jihadist advances led former colonial power France to intervene in January 2013. France largely pushed back the jihadists but they remain capable of carrying out attacks.

While the French intervention has ended, French soldiers remain as part of a larger counter-terrorism operation in the Sahel region. The UN deployed a peacekeeping mission in July 2013 to replace the French mission.

The June 2015 peace accord was signed between the Malian government and Tuareg rebels and other northern rebel groups, but excludes jihadists.

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cw/bk (dpa, AFP)</s>BAMAKO: A German military helicopter working with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali crashed in the desert north on Wednesday, a spokesman for the mission said.

There was no information on the fate of the Tiger attack helicopter's two German crew members or the cause of the crash, which occurred in Gao region, Ahmad Makaila said.</s>BAMAKO (Reuters) - A German military helicopter assigned to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) crashed in the West African nation's desert north on Wednesday, a spokesman for the mission said.

There was no information on the fate of the Tiger attack helicopter's two German crew members or the cause of the crash, which occurred in the Gao region at around midday (1200 GMT), spokesman Ahmad Makaila said.

Germany increased its commitment to MINUSMA earlier this year with the deployment of eight attack and transport helicopters as well as 350 additional soldiers.

It now has around 1,000 troops serving in Mali as part of MINUSMA and a separate European Union mission.

The crash comes at a politically sensitive time in Germany with just weeks to go to a national election in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking a fourth term.

Merkel's Social Democratic challengers have raised questions about increasing military spending to reach a NATO target of 2 percent of economic output, and recently blocked plans for leasing an armed drone to support German troops, for instance, in Mali.

Four years after a French-led military intervention drove Islamist fighters from cities and towns they had seized in in 2012, northern Mali remains racked by violence.

Militant fighters, some with links to al Qaeda, regularly target Malian soldiers and U.N. troops in attacks that have made MINUSMA the world's deadliest U.N. peacekeeping mission.</s>Bamako (AFP) - A German helicopter with two crew on board crashed in northern Mali on Wednesday in an apparent accident while monitoring clashes for the peacekeeping force, UN sources told AFP.

The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, has sent a team to the site to check for possible casualties and find out what happened, said spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. The helicopter cam down near Tabankort, south of Gao.

UN diplomats separately confirmed that the attack helicopter and the crew had been supplied by Germany to MINUSMA.

And a UN source in the northern city of Gao described a German helicopter crashing in "an accident" in the Ilouk area, adding "we will release the toll later."

That source added "nothing at this stage" would suggest the aircraft "was hit or shot at" as it monitored ongoing fighting in the area.

Northern Mali is the site of frequent clashes between rival armed groups, as well as a haven for jihadist activity.

The United Nations operation there, launched in 2013, is considered the UN's most dangerous peacekeeping mission, with dozens of its staff killed in the last four years.

Germany has reinforced its presence in Mali this year, deploying several helicopters and raising the number of Germans serving in MINUSMA to 639 as of June. France has expressed hope its European neighbour will do more in the poor and insecure Sahel region.

The crash comes two years after two Dutch UN peacekeepers died when their Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Mali.

In 2012, key cities in Mali's north fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda, who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising.

While the Islamists were largely ousted by a French-led military operation, attacks have continued on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army.

Former rebels still control the northern city of Kidal, and fighting between groups previously loyal to the Tuareg rebellion and pro-government militia is common, in violation of a ceasefire.

The United Nations has condemned such violations by the combatants, but the state is absent from much of Mali's northern territory and its terrain is very difficult to traverse.</s>BAMAKO - A German helicopter with two crew members on board crashed in northern Mali on Wednesday in an apparent accident while monitoring clashes for the peacekeeping force, UN sources told AFP. The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, has sent a team to the site to check for possible casualties and find out what happened, said spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. The helicopter cam down near Tabankort, south of Gao. UN diplomats separately confirmed that the attack helicopter and the crew had been supplied by Germany to MINUSMA.</s>A German military helicopter assigned to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali crashed in the West African nation’s desert north on Wednesday, killing the two crew members, the German military said.

The Tiger helicopter crashed around midday about 70 km north of Gao, burning out completely with no survivors. The crash was reported by a second helicopter following in the mission.

“We have now certainty that two soldiers have given their lives in the service of our country,” German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference. The Germans were the first killed in combat since 2013 in Afghanistan, a military spokesman said.

Germany increased its commitment to the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission this year with the deployment of eight attack and transport helicopters and 350 additional soldiers to Mali where fighters with links to al Qaeda regularly target Malian soldiers and UN troops.

A German military officer in Berlin said there was no indication the helicopter had been downed by an attack.

“The reason for the crash is still completely open. There is no evidence at this point of any outside factors,” Vice Admiral Joachim Ruehle, deputy inspector general of the armed forces, told reporters.

German military investigators will head to the scene on Thursday to search for the helicopter’s flight data recorder, he said.

All routine flights by other Tiger helicopters will be suspended indefinitely, he said, and only flights deemed necessary for “life and limb” will be conducted.

Germany now has around 1,000 troops serving in Mali as part of MINUSMA and a separate European Union mission.

Helicopters are seen as key to MINUSMA’s mission in northern Mali where they help monitor the position of armed groups that are officially signatories to a UN-led peace process.

A Dutch helicopter crashed in 2015 and there is speculation about whether extreme heat and dust contributed to accidents. The mission has struggled to replace seven Dutch helicopters that were withdrawn this year.

The crash comes at a politically sensitive time in Germany with just weeks to go to a national election in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking a fourth term.

Merkel’s Social Democratic challengers have raised questions about increasing military spending to reach a NATO target of 2 per cent of economic output, and blocked plans for leasing an armed drone to support troops, for instance in Mali.

Four years after a French-led military intervention drove Islamist fighters from cities and towns they seized in 2012, northern Mali remains racked by violence, and attacks have made MINUSMA the world’s deadliest UN peacekeeping mission.</s>BAMAKO: A German helicopter with two crew on board crashed in northern Mali on Wednesday (Jul 26) in an apparent accident while monitoring clashes for the peacekeeping force, UN sources told AFP.

The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, has sent a team to the site to check for possible casualties and investigate the cause of the crash, said spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. The helicopter came down near Tabankort, south of Gao.

UN diplomats separately confirmed that the attack helicopter and the crew had been supplied by Germany to MINUSMA.

And a UN source in the northern city of Gao described a German helicopter crashing in "an accident" in the Ilouk area, adding "we will release the toll later."

That source added "nothing at this stage" would suggest the aircraft "was hit or shot at" as it monitored ongoing fighting in the area.

The United Nations operation, launched in 2013, is considered the UN's most dangerous peacekeeping mission, with dozens of its staff killed in the last four years.

Germany has reinforced its presence in Mali this year, deploying several helicopters and raising the number of Germans serving in MINUSMA to 639 as of June. France has expressed hope its European neighbour will do more in the poor and insecure Sahel region.

The crash comes two years after two Dutch UN peacekeepers died when their Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Mali.

Northern Mali is the site of frequent clashes between rival armed groups, as well as a haven for jihadist activity.

Fighting between the Gatia pro-government group and the CMA former rebel alliance close to the city of Kidal claimed numerous victims on Wednesday, the military source within the UN mission said, separate to the clashes near Gao.

A local official accused the rebels of using "jihadist back-up" to gain an advantage over the pro-government fighters.

The groups' ongoing disputes threaten the future of a peace deal they signed in 2015 aimed at curbing northern uprisings and keeping the militants in check, according to the United Nations.

In 2012, key cities in Mali's north fell under the control of militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda, who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising.

While the Islamists were largely ousted by a French-led military operation, attacks have continued on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army.

Former rebels still control the northern city of Kidal, and fighting between groups previously loyal to the Tuareg rebellion and pro-government militia is common, in violation of a ceasefire.

The United Nations has condemned such violations by the combatants, but the state is absent from much of Mali's northern territory and its terrain is very difficult to traverse.</s>BAMAKO, July 26 (Reuters) - A German military helicopter working with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali crashed in the desert north on Wednesday, a spokesman for the mission said.

There was no information on the fate of the Tiger attack helicopter's two German crew members or the cause of the crash, which occurred in Gao region, Ahmad Makaila said. (Reporting by Yvonne Bell and Souleymane Ag Anara; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)</s>(BAMAKO, Mali) — A U.N. peacekeeping helicopter crashed Wednesday in the desert in northern Mali and two German peacekeepers were killed, U.N. officials said.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the crash took place south of Tabankort in Mali's northern Gao region. He said officials were still working to verify details of the crash, including its cause and possible casualties.

"Preliminary indications show there was a technical failure. Investigations are opened to determine the exact circumstances of the crash," said a statement by the U.N. mission in Mali. "The helicopter had two peacekeepers on board who, unfortunately, both died."

Mali is home to the world's deadliest active U.N. mission. Haq said due to the confrontations on the ground with radical jihadists, the crash site would have to be secured before personnel could reach the scene.

Ahmad Makaila, a spokesman based in Mali with the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA, said earlier that two Germans were on board the helicopter and later confirmed that they were killed.

There was no immediate comment from the German military.

Germany currently has 875 troops serving in MINUSMA, while an additional 134 Germans are taking part in the European Union mission in Mali.

The U.N. mission has been working to stabilize Mali after a 2013 French-led intervention to oust radical jihadists from power in the country's major northern towns. Militants continue to launch regular attacks on peacekeepers as well as on Malian military targets.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the U.N. Security Council earlier this year that the security situation in Mali is alarming. He warned that extremist groups operating under the al-Qaida banner are carrying out more sophisticated attacks and that Islamic State militants were also slowly making inroads in the desert region.

"This convergence of threats is particularly alarming" because the government presence is often weak or non-existent in Mali, he said.

On Wednesday, Lacroix released a statement saying he was saddened by the news and "wishes to convey his profound sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and expresses his condolences to" the German government and MINUSMA personnel.

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report</s>Bamako: A UN helicopter crashed in northern Mali on Wednesday in an apparent accident while serving with the 12,000-strong peacekeeping force in the country, a UN source told AFP.

"One of our helicopters crashed in northern Mali today... This was an accident. We will release the toll later," the source in the northern city of Gao said.

The UN source added that "nothing at this stage" would suggest the aircraft "was hit or shot at". Northern Mali is the site of frequent fighting between armed groups, as well as a haven for jihadist activity.

The United Nations force, known as MINUSMA, is considered the UN's most dangerous peacekeeping mission.

In 2012, Mali's north fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising.

While the Islamists were largely ousted by a French-led military operation, attacks have continued on civilians, the Malian army as well as on UN and French forces.

Previously two Dutch UN peacekeepers died in 2015 when their Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Mali.
A U.N. peacekeeping helicopter crashes during a mission in northern Mali, resulting in the death of two German pilots within.