KATHMANDU, Feb 15: The condition of Nepal Army Major General Chok Bahadur Dhakal, who was injured when Lebanese protesters set ablaze vehicles belonging to Nepali UN peacekeepers near Beirut International Airport on Friday night, is stable.
According to Nepal Army Spokesperson Gaurab Kumar KC, Major General Dhakal sustained a head injury when the vehicle he was traveling in was intercepted and set ablaze. “We have come to learn that he has sustained an injury to his head. He is currently undergoing treatment at Level Three Hospital of UNIFIL. He is out of danger,” said KC.
Major General Dhakal, who had completed a two-year deployment with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as Deputy Force Commander, was en route to the airport when his vehicle was intercepted and set on fire by protesters. Dhakal had bid farewell to the UNIFIL Force Headquarters in Naqoura on Friday and was traveling in a convoy with security escorts when the incident occurred.
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According to Spokesperson KC, protesters suddenly blocked the road as the convoy neared the airport at midnight. While the escort vehicle ahead of his managed to pass, Dhakal’s vehicle, positioned in the middle, was halted.
There were reports that he was pulled out and beaten, along with other soldiers in the vehicle. According to Spokesperson KC, four more Nepali peacekeepers sustained minor injuries in the incident. “They have already been discharged from the hospital,” he told *Republica*.
According to reports from the Associated Press (AP), as soon as Dhakal and his team were forced out, protesters torched their vehicle. International media outlets have circulated images and videos showing the burning vehicle, with some individuals seen taking belongings from it.
According to a statement issued by UNIFIL, a convoy transporting peacekeepers to Beirut airport was violently attacked, and a vehicle was set on fire. Major General Dhakal was injured when a mob stopped and vandalized the convoy carrying him near the capital, Beirut, at around midnight on Friday.
Following the incident, the Lebanese Army swiftly intervened to disperse the protesters. Dhakal was rescued and transported to the UN Level Three Hospital in Beirut for medical attention.
Condemning the incident, UNIFIL stated that “attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes” and that the force “demands a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.”
