Indonesian troops to leave for Lebanon in October

The Indonesian troops grouped in Garuda XXIII-A contingent that will join the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Lebanon will leave early in October 2006, Spokesman of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Rear Admiral Mohammad Sunarto Sjoekronoputra said on Thursday.

The departure of the Indonesian peacekeeping contingent was originally scheduled on Sept. 20 and Sept. 28, 2006, Antara news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

He said that the advance team which was initially scheduled to leave for Lebanon on Sept. 20 will depart on Oct. 10, 2006.

The troops as a whole which was initially slated to leave on Sept. 24 will leave on Oct. 24, he added.

He said that the delay was based on the schedules requested by the United Nations International Forces in Lebanon (UNFIL).

UNFIL said its distribution of forces in the field were very tight, so that the arrival of Garuda XXIII-A needed a re- arrangement.

Indonesia will send one battalion comprising 652 elite troops from the Army, 273 elite forces from the Navy, 39 from the Air Force and 13 interpreters from the Foreign Ministry, to Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua