Lebanon: Austrian Troops Participate in Peacekeeping Mission
The Austrian Armed Forces have deployed 160 peacekeeping troops to Lebanon. Their task is to help with supplying logisitics for the United Nations' UNIFIL mission in the country. The Austrian personnel are stationed in Naqoura, in southwest Lebanon, near the Israeli border.
Fully Operational
The contingent is now fully operational and commands about one hundred vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, tank trucks and semitrailers. It is lead by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Erkinger.
Overseeing a Fragile Peace
The UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was founded in 1978 and currently deploys some 12,000 troops from 35 countries. The Peacekeepers oversee a fragile peace along Lebanon's southern border with Israel.
Austria's Presence in the Middle East
Besides this new task, Austria already has a presence in the Middle East with about 400 soldiers participating in the UN's UNDOF mission in the Golan Heights between Syria and Israel.
Further Information
Images related to this article
The Austrian soldiers took over from Danish peacekeepers.
Approximately one hundred vehicles are the backbone of the logistics unit.