Irish authorities said Wednesday that the body of Irish Blue Helmet Sean Rooney, who was killed last week in an attack on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy, has arrived in Ireland.
The remains of the 24-year-old Irish soldier were transferred after a ceremony held by the UN at Beirut Airport, the Lebanese capital, according to RTE channel. On his arrival in Ireland, the coffin was handed over to his family in the town of Baldonnel.
During the attack, which took place on December 15 in the town of Al Aqbiya, several people opened fire with small arms on two armored vehicles of the UN mission which was transporting eight soldiers to the capital, Beirut. The attack also wounded three people who were taken to a local hospital.
Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Nayib Mikati vowed last week to «punish» those responsible for his death. UNIFIL was deployed in the country in 1978 and restored after the 2006 conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia-party Hezbollah, which lasted just over a month and resulted in the death of some 1,200 people in Lebanon – mostly civilians – and 160 Israelis – mostly soldiers – as well as significant material damage in the Arab country.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
