A Polish soldier suffered minor injuries when a booby trap exploded near a military patrol vehicle in Lebanon on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
“I have just been informed by the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces about an incident that took place today in Lebanon. While a military vehicle carrying a patrol of Polish soldiers from the Polish UNIFIL contingent was moving, a booby trap exploded. Our soldier sustained minor injuries,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X.
He said the injuries were not life-threatening and added that Polish troops carrying out duties under the U.N. mission’s mandate were maintaining the highest security measures because of the situation in the Middle East.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said the soldier was receiving specialist medical care after being transported back to base. It said he had suffered minor head injuries that did not threaten his life and identified him as a non-commissioned officer from the 12th Mechanized Brigade.
The command said the blast occurred at about 1:10 p.m. local time as Polish UNIFIL troops were traveling from one post to their base. The mine exploded near one of the HMMWV vehicles.
It added that the wounded soldier’s family had been informed and that “all participants in the patrol have been provided with psychological support.”
The National Security Bureau said President Karol Nawrocki, commander-in-chief of Poland’s armed forces, was being kept informed about the soldier’s condition.
“The President’s thoughts are with the soldier and his family, wishing him a speedy recovery,” the bureau said on X.
The Polish military said security conditions in the area where the Polish UNIFIL contingent operates were being monitored continuously and that all activities were being conducted in close coordination with U.N. mission command.
“In response to threats, additional security procedures and protective measures are implemented each time in order to minimize the risk to soldiers carrying out operational tasks. The safety of soldiers and employees of Polish military contingents remains the highest priority of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces,” it said.
UNIFIL also said one of its peacekeepers was killed and another seriously wounded after a projectile exploded at one of the mission’s bases near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr.
“We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all the circumstances of the incident”, UNIFIL said.
Poland’s UNIFIL contingent began operations in November 2019 in the southeastern part of the mission’s Western Sector, along the Lebanon-Israel border. Its tasks include protecting civilians, monitoring the Blue Line and supporting the Lebanese government in maintaining peace and security under a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Under a presidential order, the contingent numbers up to 250 soldiers. The core of its current rotation is made up of troops from the 12th Mechanized Brigade in Szczecin, supported by specialists from other military units.
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Source: PAP, Polish Radio