Indonesia Demands Completion, Transparency of Investigation and Accountability for the Death of Four TNI Soldiers in Lebanon

JAKARTA - Indonesia urges the United Nations (UN) to complete the investigation, ensuring transparency and accountability for the events that led to the deaths of four TNI soldiers who were part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission as peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

The four best Indonesian sons, Major Inf (Anm) Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Serka (Anm) Nur Ichwan Kopda (Anm) Farizal Rhomadhon and Kopda (Anm) Rico Pramudia who are part of the Yonmek TNI Konga XXIII-S/UNIFIL Task Force, were killed in two separate incidents on March 29-30.

Kopda (Anm) Farizal was killed when a projectile exploded near a UNIFIL facility in Adchit Al Qusayr on January 29. In addition, three other TNI soldiers, Kopda (Anm) Rico, Praka Bayu Prakoso and Praka Arif Kurniawan were injured in the incident.

Later, Kopda (Anm) Rico last week was announced to have breathed his last due to his injuries after receiving treatment for almost a month.

On March 30, an explosion that hit a convoy of UNIFIL vehicles near Bani Hayyan killed Major (Anm) Zulmi and Serka (Anm) Nur Ichwan.

"Indonesia has recorded the results of the initial investigation, urging the United Nations to complete the investigation or investigation thoroughly," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang, Thursday (30/4).

UNIFIL based on the results of an initial investigation earlier this month announced that a projectile that killed a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon on March 29 was fired by an Israeli military tank.

Based on the analysis of the location of the impact and the fragments found at the position, UNIFIL said the bullet was a 120mm tank main armament projectile fired by an Israeli Merkava tank from the east, towards Ett Taibe, quoted from Anadolu.

UNIFIL noted that it had provided the coordinates of all its positions and facilities to the Israeli military on March 6 and again on March 22, weeks before the incident, in an effort to reduce the risk to its personnel.

Regarding the explosion on March 30, Dujarric as quoted from a statement shared by the UN Information Center in Indonesia said based on evidence, analysis of the location of the explosion, as well as the second IED found near the scene of the crime on the same day, the explosion was caused by an IED activated by the victim (tripwire). The IED was most likely installed by Hezbollah

"We also urge the relevant authorities to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators to ensure accountability for the crimes committed against peacekeepers. We support UNIFIL's steps to submit official protests to the relevant authorities," said Yvonne.

"we continue to urge the UN to take security measures against peacekeepers, to always ensure their safety and security, especially in UNIFIL, given the current situation," he continued.

"We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation on the ground regarding our peacekeepers," said the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Until the incident that killed the TNI soldier on March 29-30, the number of UNIFIL personnel who died as a result of evil acts has reached 97 people since the mission began in March 1978, quoted from Euronews.

In total, more than 330 UNIFIL personnel have died while on duty, the highest number of casualties of any UN peacekeeping operation.

"The safety and security of UN peacekeepers cannot be negotiated. Therefore, the Government also continues to coordinate with the UN and troop-contributing countries to strengthen protection for all personnel in the field, including through a thorough evaluation of safety and security aspects and strengthening of risk mitigation measures in the UNIFIL operation area," the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said some time ago.