NEW YORK, NY — The UN Security Council has approved the creation of a new special operations unit to conduct "actual military operations, including offensives" against armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is the first time the UN has given any troops a mission similar to that of a real military force.
According to a newly released UN charter, the special operators will be asked to "move around the country and shoot at people," and will be issued camouflage helmets, as opposed to the bright blue helmets of their conventional counterparts. They will also practice and deploy with specialized skills, "includ[ing] aiming weapons, communicating with a radio, and driving tactical vehicles."
Until now, the UN peacekeeping mission has been largely used as economic aid for smaller countries paid to provide the troops — and countries in which troops deploy — because UN soldiers purchase stockpiles of memorabilia, such as hand-carved African statuettes and marble chess sets. However, the UN says special operations soldiers will be cut from a different cloth.
