Two Tanzanian UN peacekeepers killed in Congo ambush

Two United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania were killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday when their patrol was ambushed in an area where government forces are fighting Ugandan rebels, the country`s U.N. mission said.

Kinshasa: Two United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania were killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday when their patrol was ambushed in an area where government forces are fighting Ugandan rebels, the country`s U.N. mission said.

The peacekeepers were attacked in the village of Kikiki, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the town of Beni in North Kivu province, Felix Basse, spokesman for the mission known as MONUSCO, told Reuters

"The ambush took place today, this afternoon ... The death toll is two and we have a couple of injured," he said.

The Congolese army said earlier on Tuesday that it had killed 16 Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels during fierce fighting in the same zone over the weekend.

Tuesday`s ambush was the second attack on U.N. forces in the area in 48 hours after a MONUSCO helicopter was fired upon by unidentified gunmen on Monday.

Congolese forces launched Operation Sukola I early last year against the Islamist ADF, who are accused of massacring some 300 villagers near Beni between October and December. MONUSCO is providing logistical support for the offensive.

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