The United Nations Emergency Force in the Gaza Strip is being reduced by 600 men, about one-fifth of its complement, as a result of the decision of the Indonesian Government to withdraw its troops and not replace them. The Indonesian unit will sail from Port Said on September 9, after eight months of service.
Major General E.L.M. Burns, commander of UNEF, who reviewed the Indonesian unit at Rafah this week-end, is to make a survey of the situation and report to UN headquarters whether he needs replacements or whether the forces remaining at his disposal are adequate.
While the original intention was to have the UNEF force responsible for order and security throughout the Gaza Strip, Egyptian police were went into the zone and took over these functions, leaving UNEF solely as a frontier force patrolling the border between Israel and the Strip.
The UNEF originally mustered 6,000 men. Units of the force remain at Sharm-el-Sheikh on the Gulf of Akaba, occupying the coastal positions given up by the Israel Army.
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