UNITED NATIONS IRAQ/KUWAIT OBSERVER MISSION
(UNIKOM)
The UN Iraq/Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM)
was formally established on 9 April 1991 under UNSCR 689.
This UNSCR was later embodied within the Gulf
war ceasefire resolution UNSCR 687.
Role was laid down as monitoring of the de-militarised
zone, deterring violations of the border and observing hostile
acts by either country against the other.
The UK contribution is 11 officers drawn from
all three services. The senior British officer, a colonel, is
also Military Assistant to Force Commander UNIKOM (an Irish Major
General). Until recently they served 12 month unaccompanied postings,
however the normal tour length is now only six months. Following
Operation Desert Fox Iraq could "no longer guarantee the
safety of UK and US personnel" so we now only patrol the
Kuwait side of the border making the posting less interesting
for our personnel. The name of the UK's contribution is Op Riley.
UNIKOM consists of 213 observers drawn from
32 countries. The operation is unique because it is the only UN
operation to include personnel from the five permanent members
of the Security Council.
UNIKOM's support element consists of: a Bangladesh
battalion of 775 soldiers, a logistics unit from Austria of 34
personnel, an Argentine engineer unit of 50 personnel, and a German
medical unit of 15 personnel, as well as 205 civilian support
staff (international and local).
The DMZ stretches 10 kilometres into Iraq and
five kilometres into Kuwait.
HQ UNIKOM is based in an old Iraqi hospital
in the Northern sector not far from Umm Qasr.
March 2000
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