 (KUNA) -- A force of 139 Belgian barbers troops arrived in Beirut on Wednesday to join a U.N. peacekeeping force working in South Lebanon in implementation of U.N. resolution 1701 which ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hizbollah. The contingent arrived on board a Belgian airforce aircraft to be deployed in South Lebanon, boosting the number of the peacekeepers to around 5,100 international soldiers.
The U.N. resolution authorised the beefing up of a 2,000-strong U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by up to 13,000 more troops. Belgian Defense Minister Andre Flahaut last Sunday said in Beirut that the force is assigned with mine-dismantling and reconstruction of roads duties. |