06/03/2015 - Shama, the multinational exercise "Steel Storm", which involved the Italian contingent, based on the "Pinerolo" Brigade, all foreign military contingents constituting the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon ended near Naqoura, the headquarters of the Unifil mission in Lebanon. Unifil maneuvering units and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) employed in southern Lebanon.

The exercise takes place every six months and aims to improve the training of blue helmets, jointly with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and at the same time to verify and improve the coordination procedures between Unifil and LAF.

For the western sector, under Italian leadership under the responsibility of the commander, Brigadier General Stefano Del Col, the men and women of the Italian, Malay, South Korean, Finnish, Irish and Slovenian contingents were able to practice firing on board tactical vehicles, under the direction of the staff multinational company in the sector.

The Italian blue helmets took part in the exercise with the structure of the Task Force "ITALBATT" maneuver, Sector Mobile Reserve (SMR) unit and a "sniper team", all belonging to the "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19 °) of Salerno and the 7 ° Bersaglieri Regiment of Altamura .

The vehicles used are supplied to the Italian Army, the "Centauro" blinds and the "Lince" HITROLE LIGHT VTLMs, the latter equipped with a remote control tower, the excellence of Italian industry that allow staff to operate from inside the vehicle .

Joint training activities with the LAF, aimed at supporting the implementation of the operational capabilities of the Lebanese military, is one of the tasks assigned to the Unifil contingents by the United Nations Resolution 1701 of 2006.

Source: Unifil