Malbatt 850-12 troops to return from Lebanon in phases by November

JOHOR BARU: The current Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-12 force in Lebanon will come home in phases by November, says Army Chief General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan.
He added that they would be replaced by Malbatt 850-13, and the selected personnel would be called up for training soon before being deployed.
'It will be the same number of troops, about 850 officers and personnel, including one platoon from the Royal Brunei Artillery Force joining Malbatt.
'A committee will be set up to choose the commander and staff officers involved. The selected unit is the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment based in Sungai Ara,' he told the media after meeting Malbatt 850-12 personnel's families near Ulu Tiram here on Monday (May 5) evening.
He added that the Malbatt 850-13 training will be held at Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
Gen Hafizuddeain assured the families that Malbatt forces in Lebanon were safe despite the current situation in the Middle East.
'We are concerned about the possibility of uncontrolled actions by the parties in conflict there, which might result in gunfire reaching our area of assignment.
'Alhamdulillah, so far there have not been any high-risk incidents, though we remain vigilant,' he added.
Malbatt 850-12 has been deployed since November under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) peacekeeping mission.

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