MORE than 30 members of the Defence Forces from Limerick are bound for the Middle East this week to take on a six-month tour of duty as peacekeepers in the Lebanon. They are travelling as part of a contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Defence and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney visited Sarsfield Barracks to meet the 119th Infantry group ahead of their departure. Having made a commitment to UNIFIL in 1978, the Minister said it was one of the central components of Ireland’s peacekeeping tradition. The Limerick battalion has been training for two months under the command of Colonel Fiacra Keyes. The troops will have to undergo a two-week isolation period before departure.
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