US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson (r) at the donation of equipment to the Lebanese police. (Photo X/@usembassybeirut published on March 14, 2024)
Washington donated "15 tactical vehicles" to the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) on Tuesday, the US Embassy in Lebanon said on X on Thursday.
US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson "donated 15 tactical vehicles to the head of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), General Imad Osman," as well as to the head of the vehicle unit, Colonel Awad, the text said.
The equipment "will enhance the capabilities of the ISF's vehicular forces to provide vital security to the Lebanese people," the US embassy added. "Since 2008, the United States has provided nearly $6 million annually to the ISF to assist with counterterrorism training and equipment," the post on X concludes.
"This is a special vehicle, which includes equipment intended for patrols and security missions," a spokesman for the ISF told L'Orient-Le Jour without giving any further details on how these cars will be used.
The working conditions and salaries of the Lebanese police have been severely hit by the unprecedented economic crisis that Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019. In early March, the ISF announced the launch of a recruitment campaign for 800 trainee sergeants and trainee officers, both men and women, as the number of defections in the police force has increased with the crisis.
In 2023, Washington had announced an unprecedented $72 million in aid to the Lebanese army and police, paid for six months to supplement salaries that have collapsed, as part of a joint program with the UN.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.