Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo: An Indian UN peacekeeper and two Congolese nationals were killed in an ambush in Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said on Monday.
The peacekeeper's unit had gone to the aid of government soldiers under attack from unknown gunmen in North Kivu province, the peacekeeping mission said in a statement.
The peacekeeper was wounded in the firefight and died after reaching the hospital in Goma, the provincial capital. A government soldier and a civilian also died, while four others were injured, the statement said.
The UN mission in Congo was critical in organising Congo's post-war elections in 2006, which were meant to usher in a new era of hope after decades of dictatorship and war. But armed groups still roam much of the east and peacekeepers are frequently called upon to support the fragile army.
With the 50th anniversary of Congo's independence on June 30 and another set of elections next year, Congolese President Joseph Kabila wants peacekeepers to start pulling out next month and to have left by the end of 2011.
But the United Nations is trying to resist the pressure due to worries government troops will be unable to fill the gap.
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