Korean and Irish peacekeepers conduct training exercises with LAF

From 21 to 25 February 2022, UNIFIL’s Korean peacekeepers conducted “Basic First Aid and Combat Medical Care Training” at the Lebanese Army's Chawakeer Barracks in Tyre. (UN Photo / First Lieutenant HAN Kwan Yong)

From 21 to 25 February 2022, UNIFIL’s Korean peacekeepers conducted “Basic First Aid and Combat Medical Care Training” at the Lebanese Army's Chawakeer Barracks in Tyre. (UN Photo / First Lieutenant HAN Kwan Yong)

From 21 to 25 February 2022, UNIFIL’s Korean peacekeepers conducted “Basic First Aid and Combat Medical Care Training” at the Lebanese Army's Chawakeer Barracks in Tyre. (UN Photo / First Lieutenant HAN Kwan Yong)

On 25 February, UNIFIL's Irish peacekeepers concluded a 5-day training with LAF in an open field near the village of Al Samaiyah, south-east of Tyre. (UN Photo / Captain Alan Dowling)

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3 Mar 2022

Korean and Irish peacekeepers conduct training exercises with LAF

Two UNIFIL contingents, from the Republic of Korea and Ireland, conducted rigorous training exercises with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in south-western Lebanon last week. The aim was to enhance capabilities of the LAF while also improving interoperability between the two forces working together within UNIFIL’s area of operations.

In the first of the activities, from 21 to 25 February, UNIFIL’s Korean peacekeepers conducted “Basic First Aid and Combat Medical Care Training” at the LAF’s Chawakeer Barracks in Tyre.

The training topics included, among others, respiratory obstruction treatment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of tourniquets, ligament treatment (“desmology”), applying splints and patient treatment during “tactical situations.”

During the same period, UNIFIL’s Irish peacekeepers conducted a separate training exercise with the LAF in an open field near the village of Al Samaiyah, south-east of Tyre.

The second five-day training aimed to improve UNIFIL-LAF cooperation while simultaneously contributing to enhance capabilities and effectiveness of both forces. The coordinated training also aimed to enhance the perception of both UNIFIL and LAF among the local population. The training also ensured that the interoperability between UNIFIL peacekeepers and their strategic partners, the LAF, was improved.

In his remarks at the end of the training, Irish Commandant Enda Caldwell said that the training would help both parties operate “more efficiently and effectively,” adding that such joint activities help deepen the cooperation between the two forces.

Improving the LAF’s capabilities lies at the centre of UNIFIL’s mandate under UN Security Council resolution 1701. The work of UNIFIL peacekeepers is geared towards preparing the LAF to take over full responsibility for security in the mission’s area of operations.

In the whole of 2021, UNIFIL conducted more than 2,500 training activities – including coordinated exercises, training courses and lectures – with both land and naval forces of the LAF.