UNIFIL peacekeepers held a memorial ceremony in El Khiam in south Lebanon last week to pay homage to the six Spanish peacekeepers killed there in an attack ten years ago.
UNIFIL’s Sector East Commander Brigadier General Venancio Aguado De Diego led the ceremony to honour the UNIFIL paratroopers, who died in the line of duty on 24 June 2007. He was joined by representatives of the Lebanese Armed Force (LAF), UNIFIL contingent commanders, and religious authorities and local residents of El Khiam.
They paid homage to the monolith raised at the site of the attack as a sign of gratitude to the deceased.
The fatal incident took place when these peacekeepers were performing a routine mission in the village of Sahel al Derdara. A bomb hidden in a vehicle was activated when a UNIFIL patrol vehicle was passing through the area, resulting in the deaths.