Irish peacekeeping troops are celebrating their last St Patrick's Day in south Lebanon, where Irish troops have been stationed for more than two decades.
"It's been 23 years now during which we have shared the work and toil of the people of south Lebanon . . . it is a real wrench to be leaving," said the Minister for Defence Mr Smith.
The Minister was visiting the troops especially for St Patrick's Day, which the Irish UN peacekeepers were celebrating two days early because the force's commander, General Seth Kofi Obeng, will be abroad on March 17th.
The 560 troops of the battalion, the longest-serving contingent in the nine-nation UN Interim Force in Lebanon, will complete their tour of duty in Lebanon in October, Mr Smith said at Camp Shamrock, their headquarters in the southern village of Tibnine.
During those years, the troops and Lebanese people have formed an "extraordinary bond", he said.
General Obeng said the troops had "a long and proud association" with Lebanon. The Irish troops were deployed in south Lebanon in March 1978 - after an Israeli invasion of Lebanon - to verify Israel's troop withdrawal and help restore peace and security in the area. The battalion has lost 45 soldiers in Lebanon.
With the verification of Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon last May, the UN Security Council agreed this year to reduce the peacekeeping force.
AP