IRISH TROOPS ON peacekeeping duty high on the contested ground of The Golan have seen a major increase in violence near their base since the beginning of the Hamas and Israeli war, a senior Defence Forces officer has said.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear is the officer commanding the 68 Infantry Group which is nearing the end of its stint in Syria.
He said that such is the danger in the area that the group is taking extra care, knowing there is a risk that patrols will inadvertently drive into fighting.
Clear said the violence that has engulfed the region in the wake of the Hamas 7 October attack on Israel has seen a series of “escalations” – not just in Gaza but across the troubled region.
The 68 Infantry Group of 133 Irish Defence Forces soldiers is based at Camp Faouar which is located just a short distance from the Lebanese and Israeli borders.
Maintaining the difficult peace, the troops act as a Quick Reaction Force that deploy to help other peacekeepers in trouble.
Ireland will end its involvement in the mission, dubbed the United Nations Disengagement Observer Mission, in April.
Major General Adrian Ó Murchú is the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Support – he has travelled with a team to meet the Irish soldiers keeping watch in one of the world’s most dynamic locations. The Journal has accompanied the officer on his visit.
Clear and his troops have gone into bunkers, known as groundhog, on four occasions so far.
“It is very obvious that there are a number of escalations in the area – there is a lot more kinetic (exchanges of fire) activity that we can see, there is a lot more movement on both sides that you can see on a daily basis,” he says.
“This leads us to be more aware of what is going on around us and means that we have to plan more and be more deliberate about what we could potentially encounter.
“The real risk is for us not being targeted but arriving in to something that is occuring or just occurred so we have to be more careful,” he said.
One high profile incident was the death of three Hezbollah fighters in a drone strike close to the Irish camp in recent weeks.
The Irish troops use Alpha as the code word for Israeli activity and Bravo for Syrian forces.
They maintain their patrols across a 75-kilometre-long stretch of mountainous and rural terrain which is contested ground between the warring sides.
The UNDOF was established in May 1974 following the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan in May 1974.
UNDOF supervises the implementation of the Disengagement Agreement. Ireland has been involved in the mission since June 2013.
Captain Gerry Duff is Operations Officer and works on the deployment of the Quick Reaction Force.
He said that when they arrived on 5 October last, they could not have known the defining impact of the events just two days later would have on their deployment.
He said the activities of Israel and Hamas – along with other groups in the area – have had “huge implications” not just for UNDOF peacekeepers but also their colleagues in South Lebanon working on the UNIFIL mission.
“We’ve had an increase of armed elements operating in the vicinity which has been seen as a way to try and distract the Alpha side forces [Israel] from what they are doing in Gaza.
“That type of activity wouldn’t be normal here but since October we have seen a sharp increase,” he said.
Adrian Ó Murchú is visiting them to hear about the work they are doing and the challenges they face on a daily basis.
The Major General visited senior Syrian officials in Damascus today and will spend the rest of the week with the Irish at their camp.
Ó Murchú said it is an opportunity to hear from the soldiers and show people back home the work of the group led by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear.
“All the reports we get, from UN headquarters in New York and from the mission leadership here in theatre, speak of the excellence of our people.
“As Deputy Chief of Staff with responsibility for Support, I am immensely proud of the men and women who are currently serving overseas across the Middle East and elsewhere. And I’m sure that their families and friends at home are every bit as proud of them as I am,” he said.
While troops based at the UNIFIL mission in South Lebanon are continuing their presence, the Irish will end their involvement in April.
Last March, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said that the withdrawal was required to deal with ongoing staffing levels in the Irish Defence Forces.
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