Pacific / Fiji

Fijian soldier evacuated after being shot in Sinai

21:24 pm on 12 September 2015

A Fijian peacekeeper has been injured after his camp came under fire in the northern Sinai Peninsula, on the border between Egypt and Israel.

Photo: AFP

The Fijian military's land force commander, Colonel Sitiveni Qiliho, said the camp - where many of the Fijians serving as UN peacekeepers are stationed - came under fire when militants engaged with Egyptian forces.

Colonel Qiliho told FBC News the camp was struck by indirect fire from mortars and small arms, which forced the Fijian soldiers to take up fighting positions.

He said one of his soldiers was shot in the stomach and has been evacuated to Israel for surgery, where he is expected to make a quick recovery.

This is the second time in a fortnight that Fijian soldiers have been injured in Sinai.

Two soldiers were injured a week ago when their patrol hit a roadside bomb.

The Egyptian military has launched a major offensive against an Islamic State-affiliated insurgency, called Sinai Province, in the region.