32 Indian Peacekeepers Injured, Girl Killed In Blast In Congo

Thirty two peacekeepers of the Indian Army were injured today in a blast in the Congolese city of Goma that also claimed the life of a young girl.

Army officials in New Delhi said two of the 32 injured soldiers require surgery but are not critical. They said that none of the soldiers were seriously injured in the blast that happened at 0615 IST when the Indian troops were doing physical training.

The Indian Army has a brigade of about 3,500 soldiers posted in Congo on UN peacekeeping duty. The injured soldiers belong to Indian Battalion 1. Sources said a girl, about eight-years-old, was killed in the blast. The peacekeepers were taken to a UN military hospital.

The UN mission's troops and police personnel are drawn from over 50 countries and was deployed in 1999. United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO is a peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was established by the United Nations Security Council to monitor the peace process in the country.