Troops stage mock battle ahead of Chad mission

IRISH troops went into battle yesterday in a final test ahead of their peacekeeping mission to war-torn Chad.

A staged attack saw soldiers respond to roadside bombs, helicopter drops and defending against armed enemies while dealing with casualties.

Up to 300 soldiers of the 97th Battalion battled it out in the green surroundings of the Glen of Immal, Co Wicklow, in conditions far different to the arid, dusty, desert landscape that awaits them in central Africa.

The last-minute trials are intended to prepare troops for possible attacks while protecting camps of refugees who have fled from nearby Darfur into Chad.

“It may never occur but we have to prepare for these scenarios,” explained army spokesman Commandant Gavin Young.

The training was finishing as 147 troops landed early yesterday in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena.

Mainly made up of engineers and logistic specialists, the soldiers will travel to Goz Beida in south-eastern Chad to set up camp.

Thousands of tonnes of equipment has begun to arrive in Chad including weapons, vehicles, tents and medical supplies and enough food and water to supply the troops for four months.

The 400-plus Irish soldiers will form part of the 3,700 strong EU mission.

More than 240,000 Darfur refugees are living in 12 official camps in eastern Chad since 2004.

Another 250 Irish troops have yet to fly to Chad and are scheduled to leave on May 19 and later that month in two different groups.

The Defence Forces say an advanced party of Irish rangers have been welcomed by locals in Goz Beida.