NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18: About 1,000 soldiers of the Indian Army are being given a crash course on the crisis in West Asia as they prepare to fly into Lebanon for deployment on the Israel-Lebanon border.The troops will be a part of the UN peace-keeping force in Lebanon and have been briefed about the mounting tension on the Israeli border with South Lebanon. The troops will fly into Lebanon on Monday even as the UN Security Council is to take a decision on existing force levels in Lebanon. The mandate of the UN interim force was extended till January 31, 2001 by a Security Council resolution (1310) on July 27 this year.According to UN officials, 235 UN personnel have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the UN Interim Force in 1978. After a period of limited peace, tension is mounting with incidents of stone-throwing and rabble-rousing steadily increasing on this second front in South Lebanon.There are 5,752 peace-keepers from 11 countries, including Finland, France, Italy, Poland, India, Sweden and Ireland. The Deputy Force Commander is an officer of the Indian Army. ``The Indian battalion now deployed in Lebanon will return in December and the replacement battalion will stay there for at least a year it seems,'' sources in the Army headquarters said. The situation is fluid and tension is mounting, he added.``Though Israel is showing tremendous restraint, it may be a matter of time before the situation flares up, especially since three Israeli personnel are still missing,'' sources added.The infantry battalion group, 5th battalion 9 Gorkha Rifles, will be sent off by Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, on Monday. Israel withdrew unilaterally from the area in South Lebanon but a solution is still to be found.The Force Commander, Major General Seth Kofi Oberg, is from Ghana. The mission was established in 1978 to restore peace and security, verify the withdrawal of Israel and assist the government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of effective authority.Meanwhile, the return of Indian peacekeepers in Sierra Leone is being planned. ``Some countries have shown their inclination for replacing the Indian troops and withdrawal will begin in December. The bulk of the Indian troops will be back in January 2001,'' said an official. The logistics are still being worked out.
