The family of Donegal soldier Private Seán Rooney are to be shown important documents about the incident which led to his death in Lebanon.
The United Nations confirmed they will make the documents available to Private Rooney’s family.
Private Rooney was killed while serving with UNIFIL, the UN mission in Lebanon, on 14 December 2022.
Having spent much of his later years with his family in Newtowncunningham, Sean was laid to rest in the local graveyard following his funeral at All Saints Catholic Church in Colehill.
Two UN reports have since been completed into the attack on him and his colleagues, who were travelling in UN-marked vehicles which were set upon by an armed group near the town of Al-Aqbiya in Southern Lebanon.
Pte Rooney’s family has been shown a redacted copy of one of the reports.
However, with the second anniversary of his killing approaching this Saturday, they have yet to be shown the other.
The second report, referred to as a ‘Board of Inquiry’ was completed in April 2023.
In recent days, RTÉ has sought to clarify the status of the document with the United Nations, and queried why it has not been shared with Pte Rooney’s family.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin had said in July 2024 a copy was “provided to Ireland for official use only.”
“The United Nations have insisted that it may not be shared with third parties or made public in any form, either in whole or in part, and that the final report of the BOI will not be published,” Mr Martin said in reply to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD, Ruairí Ó Murchú.
For full story see https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2024/1213/1486290-un-pledges-to-share-documents-with-family-of-killed-peacekeeper/
