'UN soldiers killed in Lebanon blast'
Unifil was reinforced following last summer's conflict between Hizbullah and Israel
Also In The News
|
Published by Orion Books, out June 21st, 321 pages, £20. |  |
Sunday, 24, Jun 2007 09:58
Five soldiers from the UN's peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) have reportedly been killed following an explosion in the volatile country's south.
Spain, which has more than 1,000 of its soldiers deployed as part of the 13,000-strong Unifil, has confirmed that four of its troops died in what is thought to have been a remote-controlled roadside bomb.
Three other soldiers were injured in the attack, which took place between Khiyam and Marjeyoun near the Israeli border.
Islamic militant organisation Hizbullah, which last year conducted a war with Israel that led to Unifil being significantly reinforced, has condemned the attack, saying on its own television station that the perpetrators had "aimed at increasing insecurity in Lebanon".
The attack comes as Lebanese troops continue to battle al-Qaida linked militants at Palestinian refugee camps in the north of the country.
Fatah al-Islam has indicated in the past that it was prepared to attack UN troops stationed in Lebanon.