A UAR parachute battalion was dispatched to the Congo on 9 August 1960, as part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo. It is reported that the battalion in question was the 75th Airborne battalion. The battalion was made up of 350 Egyptians (Four companies) and 150 Syrians (One company), all speaking either French or English, under the command of Saad el-Shazly, though later reports gave the battalion's strength as 550. It was originally announced that the unit was to go to Coquilhatville in the north, but it appears to have spent a significant amount of time at the airport at Léopoldville.
