BEIRUT: The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has urged Beirut to ensure a speedy investigation after an Irish soldier was shot dead in the south of the country.
A UNIFIL convoy came under fire near Al-Aqabiya, the Irish military said, wounding three other personnel.
The killing of Pvt. Sean Rooney, 23, in southern Lebanon on Wednesday night, occurred after the vehicle in which he was traveling deviated from a convoy, in an area outside UNIFIL’s scope of work, and the vehicle was targeted.
Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Gen. Joseph Aoun headed to UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura on Friday to offer their condolences, and meet Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, the force commander.
Aoun said that both the Lebanese army and UNIFIL were coordinating their efforts.
Mikati said in a statement: “Investigations are ongoing into the killing of the Irish soldier, and whoever is found guilty will be punished.”
A delegation of MPs from the Amal Movement also offered condolences at the UNIFIL headquarters, stressing solidarity with the international forces.
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney expressed his concern about the incident in a telephone call with the Lebanese Caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim.
Coveney said: “For two decades, the Irish unit has not been subjected to any aggression. It is carrying out its duty to maintain peace in the region.”
The Irish minister stressed the importance of an investigation finding out the truth, given the role played by the Irish unit within UNIFIL for decades.
Both the French Foreign Ministry and the US State Department condemned the incident and the unreasonable level of violence against the peacekeepers, which also endangers Lebanese civilians and threatens stability in southern Lebanon.
The US State Department urged the Lebanese government to cooperate fully with UNIFIL.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins said: “We, as a people, are very proud of our continuing record of peacekeeping with the UN. However, we must never forget the dangers of this work."
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said: “We are working in a difficult hostile environment."
A source told Arab News: “Three parties are in charge of the investigation: the UNIFIL leadership, the Lebanese army intelligence, and an Irish team that is expected to arrive to help the probe.”
The source said that the vehicle was shot at seven times, and the doctor who examined the victim, who was the driver, said he was was shot in the head and immediately killed.
This resulted in the car turning over and three other soldiers being wounded, one of whom is in a critical condition.
The source added: “Some things remain unclear. We still don’t know why the vehicle deviated from the convoy, why the Lebanese army was not escorting the convoy, whether the victim used the GPS provided by all UNIFIL convoys, and whether he used his communication device to inform the headquarters that he had lost his way.
“It seems that the youths in Al-Aqabiya were apprehensive about the UNIFIL vehicle, as UNIFIL had never entered their town, especially at night. The vehicle was besieged.”
Since a Security Council resolution was renewed in September, no significant incidents have been recorded between the UNIFIL patrols and locals in the areas of operation, which are mostly pro-Hezbollah.
However, incidents have occurred against the backdrop of UNIFIL forces entering private property or residential neighborhoods, during which vehicles have been destroyed, communication devices confiscated, and soldiers injured.
Hezbollah has denied any connection to Wednesday’s incident.
UNIFIL patrols daily more than 400 missions in its areas of operation, and it is escorted by the Lebanese army.
There are about 11,000 officers and soldiers in the force, including 350 Irish soldiers.
The source said: “The UNIFIL convoy, which set off on Wednesday night from the town of Al-Tiri, headquarters of the Irish unit, was heading to Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut because the young Irish victim wanted to leave for his country to spend the holidays with his family.”
