Thirty Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) personnel comprising three officers and 27 other ranks, part of the Malaysian Battalion (MALBATT) 850-10, returned home upon completing the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Head of the RBAF’s contingent for the mission 961 Major Hisham bin Haji Mahmud led the welcoming parade ceremony for the returning contingent at the Bolkiah Garrison yesterday.
Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF) Commander Brigadier General Haji Mohammad Shanonnizam bin Sulaiman welcomed the contingent.
Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence (MinDef), Service Commanders, RBAF Acting Joint Force Commander, military directors and officers of the MinDef were also present.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat followed by the detachment of the mission’s badge.
The contingent was awarded the United Nations National Service Medal, presented by Chief of the Defence Force Malaysia at the PUSASDA Parade Square, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman.
The medal is a recognition of the contingent’s success in carrying out the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission from October 27, 2022 to November 17, 2023. Following this, MALBATT 850-10 officially handed over their duties to MALBATT 850-11. – James Kon
