New Delhi: India is considering pulling out its 775 troops deployed as part of the 1,990-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“We are considering withdrawing of troops from Lebanon," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
However, he made it clear that the pullout would not take place until the modalities are worked out.
With a new peacekeeping force comprising troops from Italy, France and some other nations shaping up to take over as a buffer force between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, India, according to diplomatic sources, wants to opt out.
The sources said the pullout could also be because the mandate of the new force would be peace enforcement rather than peace-keeping.
But the Indian troops are not likely to pull out before the expiry of the UN mandate on August 31.
The sources said that Indian peacekeepers would undertake an "orderly withdrawal" after their key positions in southern Lebanon are taken over by the new UN force.
The proposed international force will be bolstered by 15,000 troops from the Lebanese Army, which will oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters.
After sitting in the trenches during the worst of the recent fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerillas, the 673-strong Indian contingent comprising the 4th-Sikh Battalion in the south of Lebanon has been making useful contributions to rescue and rehabilitation.
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