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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

29th February 2016 16:37:22 Hours

10th Contingent Bound for Lebanon to Serve UNIFIL Leaves

The 10th Sri Lanka Army contingent for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) left for Lebanon early this morning (29) to take up duties.  

The Sri Lanka Force Protection Unit (SLFPU), comprised of 150 including officers and other ranks is to relieve the 9th contingent of Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (VIR) and other Regimental troops who were completing their tenure of service in Lebanon.

The first advance party of the SLFPU contingent with its Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dinesh Udugama, together with 49 members earlier on 16 February left for Lebanon.  

The SLFPU’s Lebanon-bound 10th contingent is made up of the troops from Sri Lanka Engineers (04), Sri Lanka Signal Corps (04), Gajaba Regiment (71), Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (08), Mechanized Infantry Regiment (22), Commando Regiment (13), Special Forces (08), Corps of Engineer Services (02), Sri Lanka Army Service Corps (04), Sri  Lanka Army Medical Corps (02), Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps (02),  Sri Lanka Engineers and Mechanical Engineers (04), Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police (02) and Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps (02) and is comprised of 10 officers and 140 other rankers.

The Special Force segment accompanied 04 sniffing dogs for VIP duties in Lebanon. 

The formal Passing Out Parade of the 150 – strong SLFPU at the Gajaba Regiment (GR) Headquarters at Saliyapura on 16 January saw the contingent accord a salute to their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dinesh Udugama in the presence of a gathering of senior officers and next of kin of the troops.

The SLFPU in Lebanon, responsible for security and VIP duties at the UNIFIL Force Headquarters – Naquoura controls all the access routes to the UNIFIL Headquarters and is under command to the Force Headquarters Support Unit (FHQSU) which is directly under the Force Commander.

Since the year 2010, Sri Lanka Army has to-date dispatched 9 such contingents to serve in Lebanon at the request of the UNIFIL.