Two UN troops, Two Civilians Injured in Lebanon Blast

Source: Al-Manar TV, 8-1-2008
Two soldiers serving with the UN contingent in Lebanon were injured on Tuesday in a roadside bombing against their convoy, UN and security officials said. "An explosive charge placed on the side of the road blew up as the patrol drove by the region of Rmaileh just outside Sidon," said a senior security official, who did not wish to be identified. "Two soldiers serving with the Irish contingent were injured and taken to hospital but their injuries are not life threatening," the official added. He said doctors at the hospital in Sidon identified the soldiers as Irish.
Tuesday's blast marked the third such incident against the UN since the force was boosted to more than 13,000 soldiers after the 2006 "Israeli" aggression against Lebanon. "One UNIFIL vehicle was hit in an explosion on the coastal road at the northern entrance of Sidon," said Milos Strugar, spokesman for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
"Two UNIFIL soldiers were slightly wounded and taken to hospital in Sidon," he said, without disclosing their nationalities. "UNIFIL has launched an investigation and is working in close cooperation with the Lebanese authorities," he said.
Lebanese police cordoned off the area and experts were deployed at the scene to gather evidence. Although the last Irish unit serving with the UN force was stood down in October, there are still a number of Irish staff officers in Lebanon, a UN official said. In the deadliest attack, six members of the Spanish contingent were killed on June 24 last year when a booby-trapped car exploded as their patrol vehicle passed by.