Private Seán Rooney has been named by the Department of Defence as the soldier killed on active duty in Lebanon.
Private Rooney was killed yesterday while travelling to Beirut with colleagues. He grew up in Newtowncunningham, Co. Donegal and was 23-years-old.
His colleague, Private Shane Kearney from Killeagh, Co. Cork, was seriously injured during the attack and is being treated in hospital.
They were both travelling in an Armoured Utility Vehicle which was on the way to Beirut, and were part of a convoy of eight.
One of the two vehicles within the convoy came under attack by a group, which been described by the Head of the Irish Defence forces as ‘an aggressive mob‘.
Since last night, the UN launched a joint investigation with Lebanese armed forces into the attack last night.
However UNIFIL has told Reuters at the moment ‘details are sparse and conflicting‘.
Speaking from Brussels, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said everyone in Government had been “deeply shocked” by the news.
“It is a reminder to us of the extraordinary sacrifices that our peacekeepers make on a constant basis,” he said.
“They operate in, at times, hostile and very difficult and dangerous environments and we should always be conscious of that.”
