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Responding to a United Nations request, Indonesia is set to deploy more troops to Lebanon as part of the international peacekeeping mission there, a military officer said on Thursday.

“Military Chief [Gen. Djoko Santoso] has already sent messages to chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, ordering them to prepare troops to be dispatched to Lebanon,” Navy spokesman Capt. Guntur Wahyudi said.

Djoko asked the Army to send 75 personnel, the Navy 50 personnel and the Air Force 25 personnel. Each candidate put forward by the branch chiefs would be trained and monitored through to September.

“The UN wants the troops to start their peacekeeping mission in October. We would dispatch them early that month,” Guntur said.

The UN request, according to Guntur, was made through Indonesia’s permanent mission to the world body, and had specifically asked for another mechanical company.

Currently, 1,125 Indonesian military personnel are serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

The first group of Indonesian soldiers deployed to Lebanon, named Garuda 23A, left in November 2006 to work with the Lebanese Army to establish a buffer zone with Israel. Among the soldiers was President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s son, Capt. Agus Harimurti. The contingent returned in 2007.

Following the 2006 deployment was Garuda 23B, which was replaced in November last year by the Garuda 23C contingent.

Another batch of Indonesian peacekeepers have also joined the UN mission in Congo.

Guntur said that Indonesian soldiers were well known for their effectiveness in peacekeeping missions, which might have prompted the UN to ask for more Indonesian personnel.

“The facts have shown that the UN and its members trust the capabilities of Indonesian contingents to join peacekeeping missions,” he said.

Under UN mandates, Indonesia has deployed peacekeepers to conflict zones around the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kuwait, Mozambique, the Philippines and Somalia.