President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Tuesday lauded the role played by Nepal Army personnel as United Nations peacekeepers in various conflict-hit countries across the globe. 

Inspecting the pre-deployment training of blue helmets to be deployed in South Sudan and Libya at the Panchkhal-based Army Training Centre on Tuesday, President Bhandari said the new battalion to be deployed in the two countries will be able to uphold the prestige earned by the Nepal Army in the international arena.

The Army is deploying peacekeepers in Libya for the first time. “We are always proud of the contribution made by the Nepal Army in maintaining peace in conflict-hit zones,” the NA quoted President Bhandari, who is also the supreme commander of the national defence force, as saying. Nepal has been a major troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions since 1958 and 110,771 Nepal Army personnel from different ranks have served in UN missions so far.