(Hurriyet) - The question of how many soldiers Turkey might send to Lebanon for a peace-keeping force there is expected to be raised today in a meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Commanding General Yasar Buyukanit of the Turkish Armed Forces. Military sources say that a possible Turkish contingency in the United Nations peace-keeping troops could include anywhere between 800 and 1,200 Turkish soldiers, reports Trend.
No battles, just peace-keeping If Turkish soldiers are to in fact head to Lebanon, their role will encompass "peaceful works" only, and nothing having to do with battle. Turkish soldiers would not engage in any clashes, and would, to the contrary, facilitate the re-building of many sites which have been destroyed in the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
In order for Ankara to be able to send Turkish soldiers to Lebanon, the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) must first authorize a bill proposing this action. In recent years, the Turkish military has been involved in peace-keeping action in Afghanistan, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.