18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping force is sent to Lebanon (Linked to #41114)

On May 10th, 2019, the 18th batch of China's peacekeeping forces was sent to Lebanon as part of the UN Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL). They completed their transition ceremony with the 17th teacher on May 27th, 2019, and served a term of one year. 200 peacekeepers were in this batch. The group was sent due to increasing protests throughout Lebanon and was stationed mostly on the border between Lebanon and Israel. The troops' camps were located in Hanniyah Village in southern Lebanon. They were composed of two plane building platoons, two three-dimensional building platoons and one combat service support platoon equipped with more than thirty types of technical personnel to assist with engineering, construction, medical treatment, consulting, and advice. Their deployment, and the deployment of other peacekeeping forces, was suspended on June 30, 2020 by the UN Secretary-General due to COVID-19. On August 5, 2020, nine peacekeepers of the eighteenth batch were informed that they would be deployed to Beirut, Lebanon to respond to the explosion on August 4, 2020 as part of an emergency medical team. They will join members of the nineteenth batch also sent to respond. The eighteenth batch's medical units have 30 total members and operate on a rotation period; 15 returned to China on July 28, 2020, and the remaining 15 will be switched out on August 18, 2020. China has sent UNFIL peacekeeping forces to Lebanon every year from 2006 to 2020. The program was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 on June 30, 2020, but reinstated in August 2020 to respond to the Beirut explosion. This project is linked to project ID #41114 which details the entirety of the project. For individual project descriptions, see these projects: 1st batch: #67581; 2nd batch: #67578; 3rd batch: #67580; 4th batch #71863; 5th batch #71869; 6th batch: #41110; 7th batch: #67582; 8th batch: #67584; 9th batch: #67587; 10th batch: #67588; 11th batch: #67579; 12 batch: #71901; 13th batch: #67589; 14th batch: #72070; 15th batch: #72071; 16th batch: #66366; 17th batch: #67576; 18th batch: #67574; 19th batch: #72082.

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5

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10