U.S. Presents Motorcycles, Vehicles to ISF

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ambassador Richard Jones presented on Wednesday a number of vehicles and motorcycles to the Internal Security Forces during a ceremony at the ISF Mobile Forces premises in Dbayeh, north of Beirut.

A total of 40 Harley Davidson motorcycles, four passenger vans, and five passenger buses were granted to the security forces, said a U.S. embassy statement.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Head of the ISF Mobile Forces Brigadier General Fadi al-Hachem. Anthony Fernandes, Director of the State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Office for Africa and the Middle East, was also present at the ceremony.

Jones said at the event: “The U.S. Embassy is proud to partner with the ISF in training and equipping Lebanese security forces to keep the Lebanese people and their homeland safe.”

Since 2008, the State Department’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has provided over $160 million in assistance to the ISF.

Today’s ceremony “is another step in helping to ensure that the ISF has the equipment it needs to effectively deliver law enforcement services to the Lebanese public,” Jones continued.

“Today we are marking another tangible example of the continued cooperation between the Ministry of Interior, the ISF, and the United States Government. We are committed to working together to further strengthen both the professionalism and the capabilities of the ISF.”

“I would like to congratulate both the leadership of the ISF as well as its officers for the recent arrests and disruption of a network that engaged in the abhorrent practice of trafficking in persons. It is these kinds of achievements that help to keep Lebanon safe for its residents and reflect the commitment of Lebanese authorities to upholding the rule of law.

“From our side, the United States’ partnership with the ISF is part of our long-standing pledge to work with the Lebanese people and the institutions of the state, especially those in the security sector, to build a more stable and prosperous Lebanon,” concluded Jones.

The passenger vans and the buses will be utilized by the Judicial Police and the ISF Academy, while the motorcycles will be used for traffic management and for VIP escort responsibilities.

INL has provided $160 million in assistance to the ISF since 2008, in support of strengthening the professional capacity of Lebanese law enforcement and as part of the overall U.S. security assistance program to Lebanon.