Kazakhstan may join U.N. military mission to Golan Heights

According to Sultan Kamaletdinov, deputy defense minister, Kazakhstan may send its military to the Golan Heights as part of a U.N. international mission. If the country’s parliament approves the move, the military will be sent in March 2024, the official said at a briefing for the media.

What happened? As Kamaletdinov noted, more than 1,500 military personnel from different countries are currently stationed at the Golan Heights. In March 2024, Kazakhstan can send 139 members of its military to the area.

«We started our preparations last spring. Over the period from April to October, we worked to get our contingent prepared. The preparation process was quite hard. The most difficult part was language training because all commanders must be able to communicate in English. Moreover, this training must meet the U.N. requirements. Of course, it makes the preparation process a bit more complicated, but we’ve done this. All we need is the parliament’s approval. We must be ready for the mission by March 15, 2024,» Kamaletdinov said.

How long would Kazakhstani military stay in the Golan Heights? The contingent’s personnel will be changed once a year, the deputy defense minister said.

What are Kazakhstani peacekeepers going to do? Kazakhstani military will be obliged to monitor the implementation of the U.N. resolution.

«There are no combat actions. They will be involved in patrolling and monitoring,» the official explained.

What do we know about the Golan Heights? The Golan Heights is a territory in the Middle East partially controlled by Israel and Syria.

The context. By now, 18 Kazakhstani military are part of various U.N. missions. They are serving in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lebanon. In these countries, the Kazakhstani military monitors the cease-fire regime and supports the operation of checkpoints.