LAST UPDATE | 16 Dec 2022
FOUR IRISH MILITARY investigators are travelling to Lebanon tomorrow following the fatal attack on Irish troops, with the repatriation of the body of Private Seán Rooney not yet finalised.
The investigators are travelling with a team of eight personnel who will support troops, and assist in the investigation that is underway into the attack on Irish peacekeepers that left Private Seán Rooney (23) dead, Private Shane Kearney (22) critically injured, and two others with minor injuries on Wednesday night.
The Irish Defence Forces team includes a legal officer, and three military police investigators who will aid the Defence Forces’ investigation into the attack and the events that lead up to it.
The Irish investigation is one of three that are underway; the other two investigations include an international one led by the United Nations, and an investigation being carried out by Lebanese Authorities.
The three investigations will be carried out in a collaborative manner.
A spokesperson for the Defence Forces has said that as of the latest update today, Private Kearney’s condition is unchanged – he is still critical and receiving treatment in hospital. The two other personnel that were injured are also still receiving medical treatment and psychological support in hospital.
Defence Minister Simon Coveney today visited the family of Private Rooney in Dundalk earlier today, saying that “every avenue” will be followed to get the truth about his death.
“Minister Coveney expressed his profound sorrow on behalf of the government and the people of Ireland for the loss of Private Rooney while serving the state and the United Nations as a peacekeeper,” said a spokesperson for the Minister.
“The Minister pledged all ongoing support to the family, including the swift repatriation of Private Rooney.
“The Minister said every avenue, through both Irish and international investigations, will be followed to get to the truth about the killing of Private Sean Rooney.”
A large vigil was held by locals in Kearney’s hometown, Killeagh village in east Cork, last night in support of the injured soldier.
The local Parish Priest Fr Tim Hazelwood said that the news that the soldier is in a critical condition has left the tight-knit community he comes from in shock.
The attack that saw Pt Kearney injured and Pt Rooney killed happened after 11pm on Wednesday night when an eight-person convoy, accompanied by Lebanese authorities, set out from the UNIFIL base in Naqoura to Beirut International Airport to allow two recently bereaved peacekeepers travel home to Ireland.
The vehicle carrying the peacekeepers who were attacked got separated from the other one and the Lebanese authorities, and turned off the main road into the village of Al-Aqbiya, where it came under a small arms fire attack. It is not yet known how the two vehicles became separated.
The Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati has said it is now “important” to prevent similar attacks following Seán Rooney’s killing.
He also promised that “those who will be proven guilty will be punished”.
Mikati and army chief Joseph Aoun today visited the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, and denounced the attack that claimed Private Rooney’s life.
It is understood that villagers in the Al-Aqbiya area, a Hezbollah stronghold, blocked Rooney’s vehicle after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by the United Nations force.
A Lebanese judicial source has told AFP that Private Rooney was killed by a bullet to the head when seven projectiles pierced the vehicle the peacekeepers were travelling in.
The three others were injured when the vehicle hit a pylon and overturned, the source added.
The same source said that initial evidence suggested that there were two shooters, who are now being sought by security forces.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said that the fatal attack was a “crime against the international community, and against peacekeepers who are here to maintain stability.”
Following a meeting in Naqura with the force’s commander, Major General Aroldo Lazaro, Lebanon’s Mikati said “the investigation continues in order to determine the circumstances of the incident”.
The spokesperson further stated that Private Rooney’s family are being regularly updated on the situation in Lebanon, and his mother Natasha is in regular contact with Defence Forces personnel.
It is not clear yet whether an autopsy is going to take place first in Lebanon before Private Rooney’s body is repatriated home, but that process has not begun at this stage.
Four Personal Support Service Personnel are travelling with the investigating team in order to provide support to the troops who have been impacted by this tragic incident.
The trained counsellors will land in Camp Shamrock tomorrow evening, where the UN Interim Forces (UNIFIL) base is located in the south of the country, along the coast.
Currently the soldiers and personnel there are being supported by the Army Chaplain who is stationed within the camp.
In Ireland, flags outside all military stations will be flown at half mast until Private Rooney’s funeral.
Tributes
Lieutenant Colonel Frank Colclough, the Commanding Officer of the 27th Infantry Battalion in Dundalk, paid tribute to Private Rooney on Morning Ireland earlier today.
He said that he hopes to be able to speak to the soldier’s mother Natasha this morning, who has gone from her home in Co Donegal to her grandparents home in Dundalk, to be surrounded by close relations.
“Seán was a big member of a tightknit community of military personnel in Dundalk where everyone knows each other, and is very involved in sports in the town,” Colclough said.
He said that military personnel travelled to deliver the news of her son’s death to Natasha at 4am, in an effort to make sure that she was informed and supported before the news became widespread.
Colcough added that Natasha’s brother is Sergeant John Rooney, who is currently serving in the Aiken Barracks, and so they are very much a family who are rooted in the military, and part of the community.
“It is hard to go out and deliver that knock on the door, but it is even harder to receive the news on the other side. To have three people that you don’t know bringing you shocking and tragic news, it is hard to comprehend,” he said.
Colcough said that Seán was on his second tour of Lebanon when this fatal attack occurred, and he had three years of military service under his belt, having joined in Garrettstown.
“He has so many courses and qualifications completed for his age and length of service, he had advanced driving and motorbike courses completed, and we always need good drivers in Lebanon.
“He embarked on his first tour out there with the 109 Battalion this time last year,” Colcough said, adding that Seán was there for the same reason as other military personnel – to represent his country.
Additional reporting from © – AFP 2022 and Tadgh McNally
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