UPDATE: Two Sri Lankan UN Peacekeepers in Mali Dead & Three Injured
January 26, 2019Captain H.W.D Jayawickrama of 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry from Polonnaruwa and Corporal S.S Wijekumara of 1 Mechanized Infantry Regiment from Thalakolawewa, Polpithigama of the Sri Lankan Army Contingent in Mali laid down their lives this morning (25) following an explosion while performing their UN Peacekeeping Mission duties around 6.30 a.m. in Keerana area after their WMZ convoy was attacked by a rebel group using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Corporal M.G.S Kumarasinghe of 1 Sri Lanka Engineers from Panwilathenna, Lance Corporal K.C Pushpakumara of 1 Sri Lanka Engineers from Kannathota and Lance Corporal C.H.M.S Chandrasekara of 12 Sri Lanka Engineers from Kekunawa, Maho who sustained injuries in the same IED attack were airlifted for treatment to the Level 2 Hospital at Gao, the commercial city on the banks of river Niger.
An armoured vehicle, WMZ carrying Sri Lankan Peacekeeping troops on patrol in the general area of Douentza in West Africa's trouble-torn Mali, came under a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack around 6.30 a.m. early this morning (25) in local Mali time.
The attack on the WMZ and the convoy which was returning after a mission killed one Sri Lankan Army Captain, one Corporal and injured three more Sri Lankan soldiers.
The attack caused damages to the ill-fated WMZ vehicle and another that followed behind. UN Peacekeeping Mission Headquarters in Mali is conducting investigations into the incident. More details follow.