Chinese peacekeepers back from Lebanon

A group of 100 Chinese peacekeepers on Wednesday flew back to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China, in a chartered plane after accomplishing their UN mission in Lebanon.

The military unit, as part of China's first engineering battalion dispatched to Lebanon, had been honored a medal for their outstanding performance since they were deployed in Lebanon last April.

The first battalion, from Chengdu Military Area Command of the People's Liberation Army, comprises of a mine clearing company, a engineering company, a logistics company and a medical team.

A total of 143 peacekeepers from the same military command left Kunming Monday for Lebanon in a UN chartered plane to replace the first engineering battalion.

China has sent 6,000 military personnel to participate in 16 UN peacekeeping operations since it began to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in the 1990s.

Eight Chinese peacekeepers have died and dozens have been wounded in the line of duty.

Source: Xinhua