Finnish peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came under a gun attack in southern Lebanon on Friday morning, said Finnish Army in a press release.
None of the soldiers, however, was injured in the attack but the patrol vehicles were damaged.
The incident took place at about 10:00 a.m. local time when seventeen Finnish peacekeepers were travelling in four armoured vehicles along with French peacekeepers at the area.
A crowd gathered around the peacekeepers and tried to stop them.
The crowd including some armed people behaved violently forcing a Finnish peacekeeper to fire warning gunshots for own protection.
A shot was fired also at the patrol from the crowd and the peacekeepers had to resort to weapons in order to protect themselves.
The crowd fired more gunshots at the patrol and the patrol left the scene. The peacekeepers returned to their home base at about 10:50 a.m.
All peacekeepers serving in the operation are being offered counselling following the incident.
News agency Xinhua adds: The routine patrol was confronted by a group of individuals dressed in civilian clothing, resulting in damage to its vehicles, spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.
"These individuals attempted to stop the patrol using violent means, including metal rods and axes… Fortunately, no injuries were reported," Tenenti said, adding that the Lebanese army arrived at the scene later and escorted the patrol back to its base.
"UNIFIL reminds all parties that its mandate guarantees freedom of movement within its area of operations in South Lebanon. Any restriction of this freedom constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701," the spokesperson said.
Tenenti underscored that "any targeting of UN peacekeepers while they are performing their Security Council-mandated duties is unacceptable," calling on the Lebanese authorities to ensure they can carry out their mission without threat or obstruction.
Earlier in March this year, a Finnish peacekeeper serving in the UNIFIL was injured in an explosion.
- Finnish
- Peacekeeper
- Attacked
- Lebanon
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
