SOUTH KIVU: A Pakistani UN peacekeeper, Naik Naeem Raza, was killed and another was injured when their covoy was ambushed by ‘members of an armed group’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, a stat
ement published on the United Nations website said.
Raza
217;s murder was confirmed by Pakistan
217;s Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi. “One of our UN peacekeepers Naik Naeem Raza embraced [martyrdom] in Congo. May Allah rest his soul in peace. And we pray that another of our soldiers who was injured fully recovers,” the ambassador said in a tweet.
“Pakistan
217;s peacekeepers will continue their efforts to uphold internationa
l peace and security,” she a
dded.
Inter-Services Public Relations, the military
217;s media wing, said in a stat
ement that Raza was killed when “the Pakistani peacekeeping convoy was ambushed by armed rebels near Lulimba, 96 kilometre south West of Baraka, South Kivu Province.” The stat
ement added that one other peacekeeper, Bilal, was injured in the attack. “Pakistani peacekeepers effectively responded to fail the armed rebels,” the military
217;s stat
ement a
dded.
“Pakistan is a permanent contributor to globa
l peace under UN flag. To date, 156 brave Pakistanis including 23 officers have sacrificed their lives for globa
l peace and stability under UN auspices,” ISPR added. “As of today, over 6000 Pakistani officers and men are performing their duties as part of UN peace keeping assignments.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “condemns the killing of a peacekeeper from Pakistan̷
0; following an ambush” in the troubled eastern province of South Kivu, a UN spokesman said in a tweet. He reaffirmed the UN
217;s willingness to continue to address the country
217;s security challenges, despite tensions with the government.
Published in Daily Times, January 29th 2018.
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