BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A total of 29 Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) personnel – comprising three officers and 26 other ranks, including two female members – returned safely to Brunei Darussalam Friday (Dec 5) afternoon.
They reunited with their families after completing a 12-month peacekeeping mission with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), serving alongside the Malaysian Battalion (MALBATT) 850-12.
The RBAF contingent MALBATT 850-12, led by Major Pengiran Muhammad Syahir Fadillah Pengiran Salleh successfully completed their mission from Nov 16, 2024 to Nov 15, 2025 and arrived at the Air Movement Centre, Rimba Air Force Base using the Royal Brunei Air Force C295MW transport aircraft.
Their arrival was welcomed by Commander of the RBAF Major General Datuk Paduka Seri Muhammad Haszaimi Bol Hassan.
Members of the RBAF Executive Committee; Deputy Director of the Department of International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Defence Adviser of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam, senior officers and personnel from the Ministry of Defence, and family members of the RBAF personnel involved in the mission were also present.
The deployment of MALBATT 850-12 reflects the RBAF’s continued commitment to peacekeeping missions since 2008, in line with the national defence aspirations outlined in the Defence White Paper 2021, while also strengthening Brunei Darussalam’s role as an active partner in international peace efforts. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
