New Delhi: Five Indian peacekeepers escorting a United Nations (UN) convoy in South Sudan have been killed in an ambush by rebels, the Indian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.
"Five peacekeepers from India with UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) killed in ambush in Jonglei," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin wrote on Twitter.
He confirmed the deaths to AFP and said the soldiers had been killed while "escorting a UN convoy".
An Indian soldier was shot and wounded there in March amid high tensions about an imminent government crackdown, and a UN helicopter was downed in December.
India is a major contributor to UN peacekeeping forces around the world and has suffered losses in the past.
Akbaruddin said that the Indian foreign ministry was arranging for the bodies of its peacekeepers in South Sudan to be returned home.
"Five peacekeepers from India with UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) killed in ambush in Jonglei," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin wrote on Twitter.
He confirmed the deaths to AFP and said the soldiers had been killed while "escorting a UN convoy".
An Indian soldier was shot and wounded there in March amid high tensions about an imminent government crackdown, and a UN helicopter was downed in December.
Advertisement
India is a major contributor to UN peacekeeping forces around the world and has suffered losses in the past.
Advertisement
Akbaruddin said that the Indian foreign ministry was arranging for the bodies of its peacekeepers in South Sudan to be returned home.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
COP29 Leaders Announce New Climate Funding And Energy Storage Goals PM Modi To Speak At UN Summit Of Future On September 23 Israel Risks Becoming Global "Pariah" Over Gaza "Genocide": UN Experts "Biggest Breach": Thousands Of Pagers Explode In Lebanon, Target Hezbollah Video: Leopard Spotted Crossing Road In Bengaluru's Electronic City AAP Asks Its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal To Quit Over Atishi Remarks 3 Children Crushed Under Tractor Carrying Ganesh Idol In Maharashtra: Cops "No U-Turns By Modi Government, Only Responsiveness": Piyush Goyal Exclusive How PM's Birthplace Vadnagar Shaped His Early Days, Documentary Reveals Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.