Twelve Indian soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon have been recognised for bravery while rescuing other peacekeepers trapped during a shootout between guerrillas and Israeli forces.
The soldiers from 15 Assam Regiment have been awarded the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) commander's appreciation card for acts of bravery and dedication to duty, an army spokesman said here Wednesday.
Peace in the Shebaa Farms area, a hot spot along the Lebanon-Israel border, was broken on the morning of Jan 9 by a hostile episode involving the Israeli forces.
"Artillery and mortar shelling and air raids followed the incident. A UN observer group patrol that had gone for observation from the Lebanese side of (the border) got trapped in the firing, resulting in the killing of a French officer, Maj. Jean-Louis Valet and wounding of his Swedish colleague," the spokesman said.
"The observer group patrol was missing thereafter.
"Troops of the 15 Assam Regiment, deployed in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL since December 2004, were tasked to extricate the patrol to safety," he said.
Maj. K.K. Bhatacharya and his quick reaction team moved to the area while shelling was still in progress. Unmindful of the dangers involved, the officer reached the area after travelling 10-12 km and extricated the patrol members to safety, the spokesman said.
The leadership provided by Col. T. Sambarah, the commanding officer of the Indian forces, by moving along with a medical team ensured the timely evacuation of other casualties, he said.
