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| Africa Horn |
| 5 Indian peacekeepers killed in South Sudan |
| 2013-04-10 |
| NEW DELHI — Five Indian peacekeepers escorting a United Nations convoy in South Sudan have been killed in an ambush by rebels, the Indian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. A Lieutenant Colonel is among the dead. “Peacekeepers from India in UNMISS (United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan) attacked in Jonglei. Five dead and four wounded,” ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin tweeted. Elaborating on the incident, Akbaruddin said: “It happened this morning about 8:30 a.m. The convoy carrying 32 Indian soldiers was attacked by rebels. There were five casualties, including a Lieutenant Colonel, a JCO (junior commissioner officer) and three soldiers. Four others have been wounded.” “We were informed that there were five casualties of Indian battalion that was attached to the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan. They were escorting a UN convoy in the volatile state of Jonglei in South Sudan,” he told a TV channel. “The casualties, including the injured, are being brought back by the UN by helicopters from Jonglei to Juba (the capital of South Sudan),” Akbarudddin said. He said the Indian ambassador in South Sudan, along an officer of the Army Medical Corps, is waiting at the Juba airport to receive the bodies and the injured. “We have 2,200 India personnel in South Sudan. Our embassy is in touch with UN representative on this matter,” he added. |
| Posted by:Steve White |