An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/1188860
An Cosantóir Dec 2019/Jan 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | POLISH SOLDIERS RETURN TO LEBANON BY PTE LUKASZ GANCARZ (AR), D COY, 7 INF BN PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE POLISH ARMED FORCES T roops of the Polish 12th Mechanised Brigade are joining the Irish peacekeeping contingent in Camp Shamrock this November. The Polish Army served in Lebanon continuously from April 1992 to December 2009, provid- ing contingents of engineering (1994-2002), logistics (1994- 2004), medical (1992-2005) and operational (2007-2009) with strengths ranging from 100 to a maximum of 650 personnel. Soldiers were mainly stationed in garrisons of Jwayaa, Mardz Ujun, An-Nakura (Naqoura) and Tibnin. The main tasks of the new 250-strong contingent will be protection of civilian communities, monitoring the Blue Line area and providing training for Lebanese government organisa- tions. All the operations will be carried out under the command of the Irish contingent, where Polish soldiers will have a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge gained during Iraq and Afghanistan stabilisation missions. The Polish 12th Brigade carries the military heritage dating back to 1673 and will bring an array of equipment from APV Rosomak (a Polish modified version of AMV Patria), HMMWV's, and various types of logistics support vehicles. Historically, the Polish mission in Lebanon was relatively uneventful with only two major incidents occurring during this period. The first was the Israeli operation 'Grapes of Wrath', which began on 18 April 1996. During this 16-day campaign against Hezbollah and Lebanese-based fighters, Israel conduct- ed air raids (over 1,100), artillery shelling and ground operations. Polish EOD units, medics and transport elements came under small arms fire from the Israeli side on several occasions, and medics had to render aid to UN and civilian personnel while still under attack. Polish and Nepalese EOD engineers working on landmine removal also came under small arms and mortar fire. After substantial loss of civilian life and major infrastructural damage a ceasefire was brought about by UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1052. The second major incident was the Second Lebanon War in 2006. (This occurred six years after Israel had withdrawn its forces from South Lebanon, which led to a temporary stabi- lisation in the region.) During this 34-day conflict, the Israeli