Kemenko Polkam: TNI Troops Can Be Withdrawn If UNIFIL Cannot Protect Soldiers

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polkam) assesses that withdrawing TNI troops from Lebanon is one option that can be taken if conditions in the area are not conducive and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) cannot provide protection guarantees for the soldiers.

“If UNIFIL’s mandate can no longer provide protection for peacekeeping personnel, then an early withdrawal of troops becomes one of the options under consideration,” said the Head of Public Relations and Data Information Bureau (Karo Humas Datin) of Kemenko Polkam, Brigadier General TNI Honi Havana, when confirmed in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Honi stated that this option demonstrates the government’s stance that the safety of soldiers is the utmost priority that cannot be compromised. However, he assesses that deploying TNI soldiers to Lebanon remains worthwhile at present due to several factors.

First, he said, the government will always receive the latest reports from the TNI and the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Beirut regarding areas prone to conflict. According to Honi, these two parties have also prepared mitigation steps if threats to the soldiers’ safety arise.

He explained the second factor: the government can relocate troops from one location to another assignment site.

“Reorganisation and repositioning of troop forces, considering the effectiveness of protection, could involve vacating or relocating task force positions in line with the prevailing security situation,” he said.

The final factor, according to him, is that the government upholds the United Nations (UN) commitment to act transparently and independently in investigating every incident threatening the security of TNI troops in Lebanon.

“We uphold the commitment to accountability from responsible parties, UN protection mechanisms, and the enforcement of international law regarding the security of peacekeepers,” said Honi.

With these factors in place, he is confident that TNI personnel serving in Lebanon will receive full support from the government and the UN community.

It should be noted that the government again deployed 780 TNI personnel, grouped in the Garuda Contingent Task Force (Satgas Konga) UNIFIL, at the end of May 2026.

The departure of these soldiers is to replace previous TNI soldiers who had served for one year in Lebanon.