BEIRUT, Sept. 9 -- On September 7, local time, Beirut, the 20th Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent to Lebanon passed with high standards the military capability assessment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is the first military capability assessment the contingent has received since its deployment to the mission area in south Lebanon last month.
The assessment team is composed of personnel from seven departments of the UNIFIL Headquarters. In light of the increasingly complex security situation in the mission area as affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, domestic economy collapse and long-term anarchy in Lebanon, the inspection team conducted a special inspection of the contingent’s plans for epidemic prevention and emergency response. It acknowledged and affirmed the professionalism and military capabilities of Chinese peacekeepers, and wished success for their following missions.
The military capability assessment is designed to assess whether the peacekeeping forces have the ability to carry out peacekeeping operations and deal with emergencies effectively. The assessment involves a wide range of subjects, including 99 items in seven categories, such as combat training, armaments and equipment management and logistics support. Passing the assessment indicates that the contingent is fully capable of carrying out the UN assigned missions.
According to Li Guanglei, deputy leader of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent to Lebanon, the contingent will undergo examinations for the mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) qualifications, as well as equipment inspections of the UNIFIL .
The Chinese peacekeepers will always keep high professionalism in fulfilling missions, in an effort to make positive contributions to jointly creating peace and stability in southern Lebanon, Li said.