James Kon
Joint Force Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (JFC RBAF) Brigadier General (U) Haji Alirupendi bin Haji Perudin made a two-day working visit alongside Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence Dato’ Sri Ikmal Hisham bin Abdul Aziz to the Malaysia Battalion 850-9 (MALBATT 850-9) at UNP 2-1 Marakah Camp, South Lebanon.
Accompanying the Malaysia delegation was Lieutenant General Dato’ Indera Haji Yazid bin Haji Arshad, TUDM, the Malaysian Joint Force Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces
(JFC MAF).
The working visit served to observe the readiness of MALBATT 850-9 members and assets, and review the welfare of members during the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission, according to the Ministry of Defence (MinDef).
The delegation also celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri with the MALBATT 850-9 personnel.
MALBATT 850-9 is currently joined by Brunei Darussalam’s contingent of 30 RBAF personnel, with 820 members from the MAF.
The visit began with an operational briefing on MALBATT 850-9, followed by iftar, Maghrib and Isyak congregation prayers, and concluded with Takbir Raya Aidilfitri at Surau Kawkaba, Marakah Camp.
The event ended with a trip to Nadi, Marakah Camp to meet with MALBATT personnel in preparation for Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
The JFC RBAF also met with RBAF personnel in MALBATT 850-9, where he emphasised on the importance of maintaining a high level of discipline and professionalism when working with their counterparts.
MALBATT 850-9 has been recognised by the United Nations (UN) for its outstanding discipline and competence throughout its deployment in Lebanon.
MALBATT 850-9 is scheduled to hand over its duties and responsibilities to its successor MALBATT 850-10 in November.