Sri Lanka has deployed an additional 498 security personnel to Haiti this week to join the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission, according to the Ministry of Defence.
A contingent of 218 personnel, comprising 173 Sri Lanka Army soldiers and 45 Special Task Force (STF) personnel, departed Sri Lanka on October 16.
This followed the departure of another 280 Army personnel on October 14, including 21 officers and 259 other ranks.
The newly deployed personnel will join the existing Sri Lankan contingent in Haiti, where troops are engaged in security operations, including armoured vehicle patrols and the protection of key supply routes.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army has provided logistical support to a 50-member Bangladeshi contingent travelling through Sri Lanka to join the same mission.
The Bangladeshi personnel arrived in Sri Lanka on October 15 and were provided with accommodation, meals, transportation and other essential facilities by the Sri Lanka Army as a gesture of goodwill and international cooperation.
The deployments reflect Sri Lanka’s continued participation in international security efforts aimed at addressing gang-related violence and instability in Haiti.
