Fighting Irish: 97th Infantry Battalion prepare for mission in Chad

Members of the Defence Forces 97th Infantry Battalion took part in a mission-readiness exercise at Glen of Imaal, Co Wicklow …

Members of the Defence Forces 97th Infantry Battalion took part in a mission-readiness exercise at Glen of Imaal, Co Wicklow yesterday as part of their final training ahead of their deployment to Chad.

The soldiers will be part of the EUfor peacekeeping operation when they fly out next month.

Yesterday morning 147 Irish soldiers arrived in Chad after leaving Dublin on Wednesday night, joining almost 200 soldiers that are already on the ground.

The majority of the soldiers are engineers and construction workers who will set up camp at Goz Beida in southeastern Chad for the remaining troops, who will depart on May 19th, and again on either May 27th or 28th. The battalion in Wicklow engaged in a series of scenarios based on the current situation in Chad.