The first Croatian military engineer corps to serve in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was seen off at a ceremony in the central Croatian city of Karlovac on Wednesday.

UNIFIL was established by the UN in 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace, and assist the Lebanese government in restoring authority in the area.

Addressing the ceremony, the Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said that Croatian troops had been serving in UNIFIL since March 2007, but that this was the first time a Croatian engineer corps would be serving in the mission with their partners from Italy.

The contingent, counting 52, including two women, will be serving in the mission as part of the Italian army contingent.

The Italian contingent also includes members of the Slovenian and Hungarian armies, while the Croatian and Austrian troops will be joining them now.

Krsticevic said that around 500 Croatian troops are currently serving in UN, NATO and EU missions around the world.