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10-25-2006, 10:01 PM
Digger fires on Dili attacker
Mark Dodd October 26, 2006
AN Australian soldier has opened fire after a Timorese gang member pointed a pistol at him during a night of violence in Dili.
It is the first time Australian troops have used lethal force in self-defence since the deployment of an Australian-led regional peacekeeping force to East Timor in late May. An army spokesman in Dili told The Australian the shooting happened yesterday morning near the airport, following a night of clashes involving rival martial arts gangs.
The soldier, whose name has not been released, was part of a patrol operating near a refugee camp at the airport entrance.
"During normal security duty, a Timorese man approached the patrol. He was armed with a pistol," army spokesman Major Keith Wilkinson said.
"He took a firing posture, and one of our ADF responded by firing four shots in self-defence."
The man fled and it was not known if he had been wounded.
Another man was shot dead near the airport earlier in an unrelated clash that did not involve Australian troops.
Dili airport was closed yesterday because of the gang violence. The closure highlights the fragile security situation in the fledgling nation.
"All flights since last night have been cancelled until today. The reason for this is because there will be no security guarantee for the passengers," an airport official said yesterday.
Both shootings are being investigated by UN police, and they have raised concerns about the ready availability of weapons.
The pistol pointed at the Australian soldier is likely to have been a Glock 9mm, one of scores looted or reported missing from East Timor police arsenals during recent violence that claimed more than 120 lives.
About 1000 Australian troops remain in East Timor in support of the UN mission that was established in the wake of ethnic unrest in April and May linked to the dismissal of 600 soldiers from the 1400-strong East Timor defence force.
Sporadic gang violence continues to plague the capital.
Police are investigating the murder of a young Timorese man whose body was found near Dili market at the weekend following violence between rival gangs, Acting Police Commissioner Antero Lopes said.
"I can confirm one corpse, that of a young male, was found. The likely cause of death was stabbing," Commissioner Lopes told reporters.
The UN is expected to appoint as the new head of mission in East Timor an Indian diplomat who served in a senior role in Dili at the time arms were pouring into the country to equip paramilitary police units.
Atul Khare was a former UN chief of staff under fellow Indian Kamelesh Sharma in 2002-04, and worked briefly as deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general through 2004-05.
It was a time when former interior minister Rogerio Lobato, now indicted on weapons charges, was busy arming paramilitary police squads under the noses of the UN.
Privacy (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0)) Terms (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0)) © The Australian
Mark Dodd October 26, 2006
AN Australian soldier has opened fire after a Timorese gang member pointed a pistol at him during a night of violence in Dili.
It is the first time Australian troops have used lethal force in self-defence since the deployment of an Australian-led regional peacekeeping force to East Timor in late May. An army spokesman in Dili told The Australian the shooting happened yesterday morning near the airport, following a night of clashes involving rival martial arts gangs.
The soldier, whose name has not been released, was part of a patrol operating near a refugee camp at the airport entrance.
"During normal security duty, a Timorese man approached the patrol. He was armed with a pistol," army spokesman Major Keith Wilkinson said.
"He took a firing posture, and one of our ADF responded by firing four shots in self-defence."
The man fled and it was not known if he had been wounded.
Another man was shot dead near the airport earlier in an unrelated clash that did not involve Australian troops.
Dili airport was closed yesterday because of the gang violence. The closure highlights the fragile security situation in the fledgling nation.
"All flights since last night have been cancelled until today. The reason for this is because there will be no security guarantee for the passengers," an airport official said yesterday.
Both shootings are being investigated by UN police, and they have raised concerns about the ready availability of weapons.
The pistol pointed at the Australian soldier is likely to have been a Glock 9mm, one of scores looted or reported missing from East Timor police arsenals during recent violence that claimed more than 120 lives.
About 1000 Australian troops remain in East Timor in support of the UN mission that was established in the wake of ethnic unrest in April and May linked to the dismissal of 600 soldiers from the 1400-strong East Timor defence force.
Sporadic gang violence continues to plague the capital.
Police are investigating the murder of a young Timorese man whose body was found near Dili market at the weekend following violence between rival gangs, Acting Police Commissioner Antero Lopes said.
"I can confirm one corpse, that of a young male, was found. The likely cause of death was stabbing," Commissioner Lopes told reporters.
The UN is expected to appoint as the new head of mission in East Timor an Indian diplomat who served in a senior role in Dili at the time arms were pouring into the country to equip paramilitary police units.
Atul Khare was a former UN chief of staff under fellow Indian Kamelesh Sharma in 2002-04, and worked briefly as deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general through 2004-05.
It was a time when former interior minister Rogerio Lobato, now indicted on weapons charges, was busy arming paramilitary police squads under the noses of the UN.
Privacy (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0)) Terms (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0)) © The Australian