With the raising of Kazakhstan flag in UNIFIL today, the central Asian country is officially the 42nd troop contributor to the Mission's more than 10,500 peacekeepers serving for peace in south Lebanon.

At a special ceremony held in the headquarters of the UN Mission’s Sector East command in Marjayoun, a Kazakh delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Talgat Mukhtaron joined UNIFIL’s Sector East Commander, Brigadier General José Luis Sánchez Martínez-Falero, at the flag raising.

The Kazakh contingent, composed of 120 soldiers under the command of Major Ayan Murkassov, will be integrated within the Indian Battalion in the eastern sector.

Here is our earlier story on the deployment: 120 Kazakh troops join UNIFIL.