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WORLD NEWS Friday 16 december 2022
U.N. Irish peacekeeper killed in shooting in southern Lebanon

By ABBY SEWELL and Twitter.
KAREEM CHEHAYEB “It is a reminder that our
Associated Press peacekeepers serve in
BEIRUT (AP) — An Irish U.N. dangerous circumstances,
peacekeeper was killed at all times, in the cause of
and several others were peace,” he said.
wounded when unidenti- Cell phone videos circu-
fied attackers opened fire lated online show one of
on a convoy in southern the two UNIFIL vehicles
Lebanon, Irish and Leba- speeding to leave the area
nese military officials said while it was shot at. Some
Thursday. The area is a residents were visible film-
stronghold of the Lebanese ing the incident. Another
militant Hezbollah group. video showed the vehicle
The Irish Defense Forces had rolled over after crash-
said in a statement that a ing into the aluminum shut-
pair of armored vehicles ters of a building, with a
carrying eight Irish troops wounded peacekeeper on
from the U.N. peacekeep- the ground beside it.
ing mission, known as UNI- Al-Manar TV, run by Hez-
FIL, was fired on as they bollah, claimed that a UNI-
drove north, toward Beirut FIL vehicle had “run over”
on Wednesday night near Lebanese soldiers stand next to a damaged UN peacekeeper vehicle at the scene where a UN a group of residents who
the town of Al-Aqbiya. peacekeeper convoy came under gunfire in the Al-Aqbiya village, south Lebanon, Thursday, had gathered to watch
The Irish military identified Dec. 15, 2022. the World Cup semi-final
the killed peacekeeper as Associated Press match between Morocco
Pvt. Seán Rooney of Newt- conflicting.” Tenenti added through Al-Aqbiya, which is the investigation. and France. A Hezbollah
woncunningham, Ireland. It that UNIFIL is coordinating not part of the area under Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson contacted
noted that one of the three with the Lebanese military UNIFIL’s mandate, the per- condemned the incident, by The Associated Press
wounded soldiers was in and trying to “determine son said. The person was while the office of Leba- declined to comment on
serious condition. It did not exactly what happened.” not authorized to discuss nese caretaker Prime Min- peacekeeper’s death “un-
identify the assailants. A person familiar with the the matter publicly and ister Najib Mikati issued a til we have all the data.”
UNIFIL confirmed that one investigation said that the therefore spoke on condi- statement calling for an in- At the U.N. headquarters
peacekeeper was killed armored vehicle carrying tion of anonymity. vestigation. in New York ahead of a
and three were wounded the peacekeepers had A security official, speaking Mikati “praised the sacrific- U.N. Security Council meet-
but did not share further rolled over while trying to on condition of anonym- es that UNIFIL forces made ing, Ireland’s Foreign Min-
details. escape the scene after lo- ity in line with regulations, to maintain peace in the ister Simon Coveney said
“Our thoughts are also with cals began shooting. said seven bullets were re- south, which reflects stabil- 23-year-old Rooney was
the local civilians who may Local residents were an- trieved from the vehicle. ity for the people of the re- in one of the two armored
have been injured or fright- gered and became ag- Rooney was killed with a gion and Lebanon in gen- vehicles left the Irish base
ened during the incident,” gressive when two UNIFIL bullet to the head, the of- eral,” the statement said. camp for Beirut, each with
UNIFIL spokesperson An- armored vehicles, which ficial said, indicating the Irish Prime Minister Micheál four personnel.q
drea Tenenti said, adding were heading to the Bei- fatal bullet would likely be Martin expressed his con- “The vehicles, for whatev-
that “details are sparse and rut airport, took a detour a key piece of evidence in dolences in a statement on er reason, got separated,

Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen presents new government

COPENHAGEN, Denmark headed the Liberals but the four lawmakers repre- the center-left bloc. she wanted to aim for a
(AP) — Danish Prime Min- left it and created earlier senting the semi-indepen- During the election cam- center-right government
ister Mette Frederiksen this year the centrist Mod- dent Danish territories of paign, Frederiksen had said after the vote.q
on Thursday presented a erate party that wanted to Greenland and the Faeroe
three-party majority coali- bridge the center gap was Islands.
tion that crosses the left- put in charge of foreign af- The last time Denmark was
right divide and includes fairs. The government will governed by a centrist co-
the leader of the Liberal have 23 ministries, of which alition was in 1978 when the
Party and a former prime Frederiksen’s Social Demo- Social Democrats teamed
minister in key jobs. crats get 11 offices while up with the Liberals. That
It was the first time in 44 the Liberals get seven and lasted eight months.
years that such a centrist the Moderates five. There Frederiksen was forced
government had been are eight women and 15 to call the vote earlier this
formed, bringing an end men. year amid the fallout from
to the two blocs that have The new governing coali- her government’s conten-
opposed each other for tion was announced late tious decision to cull millions
decades. Tuesday after 42 days of of minks as a pandemic
Liberal leader Jakob Elle- talks following the Nov. 1 response measure. The cull
mann-Jensen became de- general elections. The three and chilling images of mass
fense minister while former parties control 89 seats in graves of minks haunted Acting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presents the new
prime minister Lars Løkke the 179-seat parliament Frederiksen since 2020 and Danish government at Marienborg Castle, in Kongens Lyngby,
Rasmussen who once and are also supported by eventually led to cracks in Denmark, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. Associated Press