KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pix) has confirmed that Malaysian peacekeepers in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are safe, following reports that a UNIFIL armoured vehicle has been detained by local residents.
Mohamed Khaled said this briefly when contacted by Bernama today, adding that further details would be issued in a statement later.
According to Lebanese media reports, the UNIFIL armoured vehicle allegedly carrying peacekeepers from Malaysia is believed to have been detained by residents and handed over to Hezbollah fighters in the Hay al-Sellom area of Dahiyeh, south of Beirut, recently.
The Defence Security Asia (DSA) portal, citing Lebanese media, reported that the area in question is outside the UNIFIL operational area.
The Arabic-language news portal, Lubnan Al-Modon, also released a video showing the situation inside the UNIFIL armoured vehicle, including the words ‘Cendana Auto’ on the vehicle’s steering wheel and several personal items of the peacekeepers.
At the time of writing, Bernama was still trying to obtain confirmation from the Joint Forces Command, which coordinates the needs in operations and missions under the United Nations.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL deputy spokesman Kandice Ardiel, when speaking with local television station Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), confirmed the incident that led to the temporary detention of UNIFIL peacekeepers.
“A UN peacekeeping logistics vehicle en route to Beirut entered an unplanned route,“ Kandice said.
However, she did not disclose the nationality of the peacekeepers involved in the incident.
In addition to the freedom of movement within the UNIFIL operational area, Kandice said they are also allowed to move throughout Lebanon by the government for administrative and logistical purposes as stipulated in the implementation of Resolution 1701.
Meanwhile, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, as cited by the LBCI portal, confirmed that the incident in Hay al-Sellom in Dahiyeh involved an armoured vehicle carrying Malaysian personnel.
According to Al-Akhbar, the incident was deemed sensitive and stemmed from the ‘mistake’ of the personnel entering an area known as a stronghold of fighters, especially during times of conflict.
It said that the incident is not the first of its kind and altercations between international military forces and local residents have occurred before. -Bernama
