Shatter says Irish troops destined for Syria prepared for any chemical warfare incident

Irish troops have all the training and specialist equipment they need to deal with any possible chemical warfare incident during their deployment to Syria, Minister for Justice and Defence Alan Shatter has said.

However, he accepted the situation into which the Irish were being deployed was highly volatile, with some members of the international community considering military intervention.

“As with any mission, there will be continuing assessment and we know we’re in a very volatile region,” Mr Shatter said yesterday ahead of the first of 115 Irish troops departing for Syria today.

“We’re in a country with enormous difficulties; there are issues being considered at the UN, there are issues being considered in other states at the moment, and we are obviously very conscious of the volatility of the area.”

However, Mr Shatter said the nature of peacekeeping work meant Irish troops would be deployed to troubled regions. He had been assured by Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Conor O’Boyle that his troops were up to the task.

'Role of value'
Mr Shatter said the Irish had a "role of value to play", especially in light of their track record in international peacekeeping.

While the recent chemical attack in Damascus that killed up to 1,400 people last month had caused global concern, he was not especially fearful that the Irish troops would be caught up in such an attack.

“I am not anticipating that that could happen. We know there has been a dreadful atrocity committed in Syria. It’s quite clear that hundreds of men, women and children have died in a chemical attack.

"Our Defence Forces have full training and all the appropriate kit and equipment to deal with such an eventuality."

He added that training related to chemical warfare was provided as a matter of course to all troops going on all UN deployments.

Mr Shatter made his comments at Cathal Brugha barracks in Rathmines yesterday on the occasion of reviewing troops from the 43rd Infantry Group before they leave for their mission.

Observer force
The 115 troops are being deployed to Syria as part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). It was established in 1974 following the disengagement of Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights after the Yom Kippur war.

The UN mission, of which the Irish will be part, is responsible for the maintenance of a 75km separation area between Israeli and Syrian forces.

The Irish will stay in a long-establish camp with troops from other nationalities involved in the mission.

They will also conduct security and fact-finding patrols, some more than a week in duration, and will provide a rapid-response capability for UN personnel who find their safety compromised.

The civil war in Syria over the past two years and the possibility of military intervention by the US has destabilised the UNDOF area. Some nations that had been providing troops to the area have withdrawn, with the Republic agreeing to deploy troops to maintain numbers.