Varadkar in Lebanon to meet Irish peacekeeping troops

Captain Niall Wilcox (28) is the Irishman with his finger on the pulse of the local community in South Lebanon, an important role in keeping the United Nations forces stationed there aware of any brewing tension.

Cpt Wilcox is the Civilian Military Cooperation Officer, on his second tour of Lebanon with the United Nations ‘UNIFIL’ peacekeeping force. He is responsible for connecting the peacekeeping personnel with local leaders and running outreach work in the community.

From running small football coaching games with local boys to teaching women self-defence and first aid, the aim is to establish a positive connection between the peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese locals. He said the strength of that connection and trust is key to “enhance force protection”, which essentially means keeping the forces on the ground safe.

On Thursday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar arrived in Beirut to begin a three-day visit of the Irish peacekeeping forces in South Lebanon, alongside Minister for State with responsibility for defence Paul Kehoe, and Vice Admiral Mark Mellet, chief of staff of the Defence Forces.

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Speaking ahead of the trip, Mr Varadkar said he was travelling to “acknowledge” Defence Forces personnel serving abroad over the Christmas period.

On Friday, Mr Varadkar will lay a wreath at a memorial to Irish personnel who died while serving in Lebanon.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Cpt Wilcox said the local population is “very receptive” to the Irish peacekeepers, who over the past four decades have become a familiar feature in the South Lebanese community.

“Before you went a lot of work, hard work, to get to the stage where we are today, by both Irish and Finnish personnel” he said.

He said the peacekeeping troops “have to engage with local leaders, like mayors of the towns, and gather as much info as possible, to help us understand the area.”

He said introducing the peacekeeping personnel into schools is very important, to break down any barriers and build a positive perception of the troops among the next generation of teenagers and young adults in the region.

Cpt Wilcox said English classes and the football coaching were both “extremely popular for young local kids.”

During the coaching projects, the peacekeeping forces are “on the pitch” playing with the children. “If you stand on the sideline you’re not going to get the same connection” he said.

The last major conflict in the region was the 2006 war involving Hizbullah and the Israeli Defence Forces. In recent months the climate in the region has become more tense, due to growing friction between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

There are currently about 380 Irish Defence Forces personnel serving, mostly from the 111th Infantry Battalion on the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, alongside troops from Finland and Estonia.