KOTA KINABALU, Nov 10 — The Defence Ministry confirmed that six members of the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) who were involved in an explosion in Lebanon on Thursday only suffered minor injuries.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said five of them were new arrivals.
“The Defence Ministry will continue to ensure the safety of its personnel assigned to Lebanon,” he told reporters after a civil-military cooperation event at the Al-Biruni Observatory here today.
On Thursday, six Malbatt members were hurt in an explosion near Saida Stadium, Lebanon, during the movement of Malbatt 850-12 members from Beirut to Marakah Camp at 1.54pm Lebanon time.
The explosion targeted a civilian vehicle heading to Beirut, but also damaged a bus transporting Malbatt 850-12 personnel.
Khaled said the Malbatt team at Marakah Camp is in a safe area.
Meanwhile, he said the ministry will proceed with the implementation of development projects in Sabah involving an allocation of RM234.5 million.
He said the project included the development of an army camp at Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, and the construction of the Royal Malaysian Army 5th Brigade and 19th Regiment camps in Kota Belud.
The ministry, he said, was also given RM37.6 million to implement projects in Sabah next year.
The projects include the development of the Serudong and Bantul posts, the development of military health facilities at Lok Kawi Camp, and the construction of the Sabah Zone Field Intelligence Operations Centre, he said.
— Bernama
