Major General Hamal selected as commander of UNDOF in Golan Heights

– Narayan Neupane

A Nepali Army officer has been given the responsibility of Force Commander to lead the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to be deployed at border of Syria and Israel in Golan Heights.

A formal letter has been received from the UN about the selection of Nepali Army’s Major General Ishwor Hamal as the commander of the UNDOF there, Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa shared this information here Tuesday.

Hamal was selected through a competition among the military officers of the countries that contribute to the UN peacekeeping missions. Hamal is the sixth Nepali Army officer to lead the UN peacekeeping force as the commander. In Golan Heights, around 2,000 blue helmets are deployed at the call of the United Nations.

The UN had announced the name of Hamal only on Monday as his agremo was slightly delayed to be received.Currently, Hamal is the Commandant of the Army Command and Staff College in Shivapuri.

Prior to this, Balananda Sharma and current CoAS Purna Chandra Thapa had also served as the commander of the UNDOF at Golan Heights.