Turkey to withdraw some peacekeeping unit in Lebanon

Turkey plans to withdraw some of its troops deployed in a UN mission in Lebanon. The engineering and construction units operating in United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will be removed, while Turkey will maintain its presence within the mission's naval forces, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) quoted UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti as saying. Tenenti told NNA that such procedures continuously occur within all peacekeeping contingents operating under UNIFIL. "What is important is that the UNIFIL preserves through such measures its on-ground operational capabilities, for the sake of actively executing its duties & mission," he said. The 265-strong engineering and construction unit was deployed in October 2006 as per a UN resolution. The UN had decided earlier in July to deploy a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon after a conflict broke out between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. During its mandate, the unit undertook the construction of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, along with many infrastructure projects. It also granted generators and computers to nearby schools and hospitals. UNIFIL has been deployed in Lebanon since the end of the Israeli invasion in 1978.