NAQURA, Lebanon — The UN peacekeeping force
in south Lebanon urged Beirut on Friday to ensure a “speedy” investigation into
the fatal shooting of an Irish soldier this week.
اضافة اعلان
The convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon
(
UNIFIL) came under fire near the village of Al-Aqbiya late Wednesday, also
wounding three other peacekeepers, the Irish military said.
UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel,
neighbors which remain technically at war. The force operates in the south near
the border, a stronghold of Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army chief
Joseph Aoun visited the UNIFIL headquarters in the border town of Naqura,
denouncing the attack that claimed Private Sean Rooney’s life.
Force spokesman Andrea Tenenti called it “a very
serious incident” and told reporters it was “important” for the Lebanese
authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“It is a crime against the international community,
against peacekeepers who are here ... to maintain stability,” he added.
It is the first death of a UNIFIL member in a
violent incident in Lebanon since January 2015, when a Spanish peacekeeper was
killed by Israeli fire.
“Peacekeepers are continuing with their activities
and patrolling,” Tenenti added.
The flags of the force and its contributor countries
were flying at half mast at the UNIFIL base, an AFP correspondent said, while
one critically wounded soldier was still in intensive care.
UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal
of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian
attack.
Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 but
launched a devastating invasion inton its northern neighbor in 2006.
UNIFIL was beefed up to oversee the ceasefire that
ended the 2006 conflict, and now counts nearly 10,000 troops.
Bullet to the head
Witnesses said villagers in
the Al-Aqbiya area blocked Rooney’s vehicle after it took a road along the
Mediterranean coast not normally used by the UN force.
Al-Aqbiya is just outside UNIFIL’s area of
operations, the force said.
A Lebanese judicial source told AFP that the driver
was killed by a bullet to the head, one of seven that penetrated the vehicle.
The three passengers were wounded when the vehicle
hit a pylon and overturned.
The source said the evidence suggested there were
two shooters, who were now being sought by the security forces.
Following a meeting in Naqura on Friday with UNIFIL
commander Major General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, premier Mikati said it was
“important” to prevent similar attacks, and promised “those who will be proven
guilty will be punished”.
The Irish army is to send military police to Lebanon
on Saturday to help with the investigation.
Over the years, there have been a number of
incidents between Hezbollah supporters and UN peacekeepers but they have rarely
escalated.
Wafic Safa, Hezbollah’s security chief, told
Lebanon’s LBCI television on Thursday that the incident was “unintentional” and
called for investigators to be given time to establish the facts.
Relations between UNIFIL and communities in south
Lebanon have always been “very positive”, the force’s spokesman Tenenti said
Friday.
“The support of the communities is paramount in
order for us to implement our mandate,” he added.
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