SHAH ALAM: PGB holder. Colonel Khairul Anuar Aziz, one of the four Panglima Gagah Berani (SP) medal recipients who remained in service – has taken over as the CO of the Malbatt 850-5, the Malaysian contingent for the UN mission in Lebanon. He was previously the 4th Division’s Chief of Staff.

Col. Khairul Anuar was awarded the PGB in 1994 for his involvement in the Bakara Market rescue operation, better known by the book and movie, Blackhawk Down. The other PGB recipients still serving are First Admiral Anuar Alias (Paskal chief), Col. Halim Khalid and Lieutenant Colonel Juraimy Ariffin.

Juraimy and Khairul Anuar – both who were then Lt Muda – were among the six soldiers and officers from the 19th Royal Malay Regiment who were awarded the PGB for their role in the Bakara Market rescue operation. Kpl Mat Aznan Awang, who was killed in action in the same incident, was awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa medal.

For further details of the PGB recipients go here.

Read an article on Col. Khairul Anuar here.

I don’t have any further information on Col. Halim at the moment apart from the fact he is still in service. Col Halim received his PGB award for a firefight in Somalia, on Sept 27, 1993. He received his PGB medal on Oct 2, 1993, two days before the Bakara Market incident.

Lt. Col. Juraimy is currently completing a Masters program, a requisite for promotions to higher rank after completing a stint as the CO of the 19th RMR from June, 2015 to December 2016.

As for Col. Khairul Anuar, he took over from Col Reizal Arif Ismail, a West Point-trained RMR officer as the CO of Malbatt 850-5 contingent for Unifil at its headquarters in Marakah, some 100km from Lebanon capital of Beirut on Sept. 20, 2017.

Reizal created history on his own as the first CO to command a Malbatt 850 contingent, twice in a row. Reizal had handed over the rein of Malbatt 850-3 to his successor of Malbatt 850-4 in September, 2016 but returned to Lebanon in early 2017 and took command of the unit. No official explaination was given for his return. See the video below.

The current Malaysian contingent to Unifil currently has 850 personnel attached to it including those from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, hence the Malbatt 850 designation.

— Malaysian Defence

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