LIBERIA: The patrol would be passing through rebel territory, the commanding officer warned. The belligerents were an undisciplined bunch, unarmed but possibly still dangerous.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, wearing a blue UN helmet and green combat shirt, nodded solemnly. "And keep your eyes open for anything strange," added Comdt Arthur Armstrong with a smile, "like anyone carrying a monkey or a crocodile".
Mr Smith joined an armoured convoy touring the war-pocked streets of Monrovia yesterday during a visit to the 473 Irish troops serving in the UN peacekeeping mission to Liberia.
The Irish contribution is the largest western element of the 15,000-strong UN force in the war-wracked West African country, where 14 years of civil war ended last August.
The Minister was shown around Camp Clara, the Irish base on the grounds of a deserted beach hotel 15 kilometres north of Monrovia. He was accompanied by the battalion commander, Lieut Col Paddy Moran, and the army chief of staff, Lieut Gen Colm Mangan.
The local environment has thrown novel challenges at the Irish troops. A sign nailed to a palm tree warned of falling coconuts, one officer complained of crabs scuttling around his tent at night, and a dozen poisonous mamba snakes have been killed.
But the greatest challenge for most has been the stifling, muggy heat. Although the sun blazed from the cloudless sky yesterday, humidity levels were moderate - at least by local standards."Not half hot enough. We wanted them to see what it can be really like here," joked one officer.
The Department of Defence has invested in modern equipment for the mission, such as air-conditioned tents, water purification systems and a state-of-the-art medical wing.
The minister also saw the army's resources for dealing with Liberia's more potent dangers. An array of mortars, anti-tank missiles and 22 armoured personnel carriers give soldiers enough firepower to intervene in a battle situation or, if necessary, to shoot their way out of one.
The troops are only allowed three beers per night, but the limit hasn't caused much disgruntlement said Comdt Gary McKeon. "Strange as it may seem, there's not much demand. It's just too hot," he said. Earlier, Mr Smith met Wesley Johnson, the vice-chairman of the national transitional government, and Jacques Klein, the straight-talking American heading the UN mission here. For now Mr Klein is organising the demobilisation of tens of thousands of volatile ex-soldiers, but he must also concentrate on the daunting task of rebuilding an entire country, practically from scratch.
Liberia is the world's poorest country, where the average annual income is just over €300.