Ghana has asked the UN to investigate the missile attacks against its peacekeeping battalion in Lebanon.
On Friday, the headquarters of Ghana’s UN peacekeeping battalion in Lebanon was struck by two missile strikes, leaving two soldiers critically injured.
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The incident comes after Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East conflict on Monday when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, expanding the US/Israel-war fronts.
Since then, Israel and Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have continuously exchanged strikes in a war that is rapidly expanding across the region.
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Following the incident, the Ghana Armed Forces stated that “two soldiers are critically injured, while one other has been traumatised.”
“The Officers’ Mess facility also got hit and was completely burnt down.”
Ghanaian soldiers are deployed in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The battalion operates mainly in southern Lebanon, monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Ghana has been contributing troops to this UN peacekeeping mission since 1978, making it one of the longest-serving contributors.
Ghana did not identify who fired the missiles. However, it protested the attack on the UN headquarters in New York.
The country insisted on an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“Ghana strongly condemns this attack and has further demanded that those responsible be identified and held accountable,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“The attack constitutes a grave violation of international law, amounts to a war crime and affronts the protections afforded to United Nations peacekeeping personnel.
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“The Government of Ghana has further urged the United Nations to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of members of the Ghanaian contingent serving with UNIFIL, as well as all personnel serving under the Mission who, at great personal risk, make daily sacrifices in the service of humanity,” it stated.
Meanwhile, 217 people have been killed in Lebanon due to continued missile strikes into different cities and residential areas.
An additional 798 people have been wounded and an estimated 95,000 displaced, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
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