UN peacekeeper killed, 2 wounded in south Lebanon road accident

A Spanish soldier serving with U.N. peacekeepers was killed and two others were wounded when their armored personnel carrier overturned Friday in Marjayoun, south Lebanon. A statement by the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon said the soldiers were on a “routine patrol” in Marjayoun when the accident took place. The statement did not identify the casualties. UNIFIL spokesman Roberto Lozzi said the wounded were taken by helicopter to Beirut hospitals for treatment. He said UNIFIL has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident. The Spanish UNIFIL contingent currently includes 1,017 troops in its ranks. That figure will be halved if Spain follows through on its stated desire to reduce the number of personnel it contributes to the operation. The overall number of UNIFIL troops currently stands at 11,780, down from nearly 14,000 following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon summer war. On June 24, 2007, three Spanish soldiers and three Columbians serving with the Spanish contingent were killed by a car bomb. The perpetrators of the attack, believed to be Islamic extremists, were never apprehended. From:The daily star