The FINANCIAL — According to RIA Novosti, a sniffer dog named Arno has been awarded a United Nations Peace Medal for its lifesaving work with Spanish peacekeepers in Lebanon, the EFE news agency said on December 7.
The 8-year-old Belgian-bred Mallinoise, which belongs to the Military Police Unit Cordobesa Brigade, part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), specializes in detecting explosives hidden in vehicles, the news agency said.
Arno was serving at the Miguel de Cervantes base in southern Lebanon, EFE said. It was symbolically awarded the medal together with his human handlers after they concluded their four-month mission in the Arab country.
According to the news agency, the latest mission was the second for the dog, who is now approaching retirement.
UNIFIL was established by the Security Council after the Israeli-Lebanese conflict in 1978 to supervise Israel's withdrawal and restore peace and security. Its mandate was expanded following the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to include monitoring the ceasefire and support Lebanese forces in the south of the country.
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