October 1 brought news of the death of a Ukrainian peacekeeper in Al-Qut, which started the count of casualties in the Ukrainian peacekeeping force that is part of a multinational stabilization force in Iraq.
As Interfax learned from Defense Ministry Press Service Chief Kostiantyn Khivrenko, commander of the crew of the BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicle Yury Koidan was killed while patrolling the Al-Qut military airfield. As a result of a violation of driving regulations the machine overturned on a sharp curve. One crew member sustained light injuries, with the others escaping unharmed. First Sergeant Yury Koidan, age 23, commanded a commandant’s division and served on a contract basis. According to the Defense Ministry, a criminal case has been opened and investigation begun on the circumstances of the accident. Ukrainian peacekeepers have been performing operative missions as part of the multinational South-Center Division since late August. Their base camp is located close to the former Iraqi military airdrome outside Al-Qut, the administrative center of the province. It is home to 1,154 Ukrainian peacekeepers. Another 304 servicemen of the 52nd Detached Mechanized Battalion occupy the barracks of a local unit of the former Iraqi army. 125 Ukrainian peacekeepers of the 51st Detached Mechanized Battalion are stationed in Fort, a settlement near the Iran-Iraq border.
Despite the fact that Wasit Province, where our peacekeepers are stationed, is considered more or less stable, nobody is safe from tragic accidents. In general, the situation in Iraq remains unstable.
