KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) are safe following reports that an armoured vehicle had been detained by local residents, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said that further details would be issued in a statement, reported Bernama.
According to Lebanese media reports, the Unifil armoured vehicle apparently 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 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.
As at press time, confirmation was still trying to be obtained from the Joint Forces Command, which coordinates the needs in operations and missions under the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Unifil deputy spokesman Kandice Ardiel confirmed the incident that led to the temporary detention of Unifil peacekeepers.
“A UN peacekeeping logistics vehicle enroute to Beirut entered an unplanned route,” Kandice told the local Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI).
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, she 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 in 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.
