‘I’d be very careful about how I’d approach people here’

CAPTAIN Aileen Leonard is in charge of the Defence Forces’ mortar troops in the Lebanon. Standing in the midday 35C heat at the Irish headquarters in Camp Shamrock, the Cork woman explained that she was in charge of 30 Irish soldiers in her unit.

She said she had not had any issues with locals as a female since arriving in the southern part of Lebanon, where the population is mainly Muslim.

“I’d be very careful about how I would approach Lebanese people here. I normally wait for them to make the first introduction. Sometimes they’d be quite happy to shake your hand, other times they might just put their hand on their heart. I would just do the same back to them. Sometimes, it’s their thing that they don’t touch a female.”