INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sri Lankan Force Protection Unit (SLFPU) serving in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has been honoured at the United Nations medal
awarding ceremony.The event was held on Wednesday (Sept
06) at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters in Naqoura, South of Lebanon, under the patronage of Major General
Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL.Accordingly, UN Peacekeeping Medals were bestowed upon the Sri Lankan
contingent, which consists of 125 army personnel.In his speech, Major General Saenz commended the professionalism and commitment of the Sri
Lanka contingent.The event was followed by a reception hosted by the Sri Lankan contingent of UNIFIL.The UNIFIL was established in 1978 by
the UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 in response to a surge in violence on the border between Israel and Lebanon
contingents to serve in Lebanon at the request of UNIFIL
In February 2022, a 125-member contingent left for Lebanon consisting of 10 army officers and 115 other ranks.In August 2023, the UN
Security Council voted to extend the long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year after a compromise was reached between
France and the United States on language about the freedom of movement of UN troops.
