OTTAWA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Canada is to deploy peacekeeping troops in Mali by August, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in an interview on CTV's Question Period aired on Sunday.

"We're looking at it right now this summer, we're aiming for August. The goal is to actually have the rotation in place, around that time," Sajjan said.

He said Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Jonathan Vance is currently doing more detailed planning and analysis to know specifically what will be needed.

Last week, the Canadian government announced its intention to send peacekeeping troops and an aviation task force to the UN mission in Mali for a year-long deployment.

According to the United Nations, there have been 162 multinational peacekeeper fatalities since the mission began in 2013.