KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Battalion 850-12 (MALBATT 850-12) team, which just arrived to continue peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, was hit by shrapnel from an explosion around the country’s airport area at around 2 pm local time.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin when contacted confirmed the incident. A media statement from the Joint Forces Headquarters will be issued soon.
It is understood that the incident took place when members of the first group of MALBATT 850-12 were on their way to duty camp when the explosion happened, resulting in several members being injured.
Yesterday, the first deployment of the MALBATT 850-12 team involved 220 officers and other ranks to continue the peacekeeping mission under the United Nations (UN).
The assignment and deployment of the MALBATT 850-12 team to Lebanon are being carried out in stages, starting from yesterday until Nov 18.