KUNMING, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- China will send an engineering battalion on
a peace-keeping mission to Lebanon, at the request of the United Nations,
according to military sources.
The battalion is formed by an engineering regiment under the Chengdu Area
Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA),based in Yunnan province,
southwest China.
The Chinese battalion, which comprises a mine-sweeping company, an
engineering company, a logistics company and an in-field hospital, is expected
to leave for Lebanon in the UN's chartered planes in mid March.
It is the fourth PLA unit sent to carry out overseas peace-keeping missions
so far.
In the past, the regiment has sent its men to clean up landmines in foreign
countries on three occasions, and 21 of them have participated in such missions.
The members of the battalion have been trained in foreign languages and
other knowledge relating to peace-keeping missions.