By Qu Fatong, Zheng Hongliang, Zhou Jie and Zhang Boyu

BEIRUT, Jan. 7 -- A total of 69 members of the 24th Chinese peacekeeping force to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) successfully passed the assessment by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and obtained the UN mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) qualifications on January 5, 2026.

The mine clearance and EOD qualifications assessment composed of six-day training and three-day real-combat evaluation. The assessment content covered more than 30 items in 13 subjects including mine detector operation, minefield rescue, battlefield clearance, explosive detection and explosive destruction. With calm response and precise operations, the Chinese peacekeepers met the standard prescribed by the UN for every evaluated item. All the Chinese peacekeepers passed the certification at one go successfully.

It is learned that along the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, tens of thousands of war remnant mines and unexploded ordnance have been buried for over 40 years. Since its first deployment in 2006, the Chinese peacekeeping forces to UNIFIL have cleared nearly two million square meters of suspected minefields and destroyed more than 18,000 pieces of explosive ordnance of all kinds, turning the once dangerous place back into a home where people can live and work in peace and contentment.

(Video Editor: Yang Xueqing)