Turkish parliament approves UNIFIL mission extension

ANKARA

The Turkish parliament approved on July 8 a motion authorizing the government to extend the mission of Turkey’s troops in Lebanon under a United Nations’ peacekeeping mission for one more year. 

Parliament’s decision marks the ninth of such extensions for the participation of Turkey’s troops in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since they initially approved the mission in September 2006.

Having been established in 1978 in order to monitor the border between Lebanon and Israel, UNIFIL’s mission was extended and enlarged to include Lebanese troops after the 2006 war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah.

In September 2013, a Turkish engineering and construction military company operating under the command of UNIFIL returned to Turkey as part of a Turkish pullout from the operation.

While the engineering and construction troops’ mission has been terminated, the Turkish Naval Forces have continued their duty under the UNIFIL command in Lebanon with a frigate as part of the Maritime Task Force.