An Indian trooper, along with a Congolese soldier and a civilian, was killed in an attack by militants in Kivu province of Congo on Monday. Hussein Lal and his platoon, deployed on the United Nations peacekeeping duty in the mineral-rich Kivu province, rushed to help the Congolese Armed Forces, which had come under attack by the rebels.
“As soon as the Indian patrol saw the army troops under attack in north Kivu, the scene of years of fighting between the government forces and an array of rebel groups, it went to their aid,” says a release issued by the peacekeeping force, known by its acronym MONUC.
“The soldier was wounded in the exchange of fire and taken to hospital in Goma, where he died, the 31st blue helmet in the 11-year history of MONUC to die in enemy fire. A Congolese soldier and a civilian were also killed, and three soldiers and one civilian wounded,” the release said.
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