Defence Forces hopeful injured Irish peacekeeper undergoing final surgery

The Defence Forces has said Trooper Shane Kearney is to undergo surgery on his skull following the attack on a UN vehicle in Lebanon.

Trooper Kearney, 22, was seriously wounded when the armoured UN vehicle he was travelling in was surrounded by a group of armed attackers in Lebanon in December.

The Irish UN peacekeeper was injured in the shooting incident which left 24-year-old Private Sean Rooney dead.

Trooper Kearney, from Killeagh in Co Cork, was medically evacuated from Lebanon to Ireland.

He will undergo cranioplasty surgery on Wednesday which should “hopefully be the final operation that he requires”, according to the Defence Forces.

“Shane has been recovering at home in Cork for the past two months and has been making steady progress to date,” a statement said.

“All Shane’s colleagues in the Defence Forces are thinking of him at this time and are wishing him a speedy recovery.”