Belgian military aircraft targeted by gunfire during UN operation in Haiti

A Belgian A400M military transport aircraft came under fire during an operation as part of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Haiti. The information, reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, was confirmed by the office of Defense minister Theo Francken. The aircraft landed safely and the crew is unharmed.

On Sunday 19 April, the Belgian Air Force A400M aircraft flew from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince, the capitals of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in support of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission, according to Francken's office. The aircraft, belonging to the 15th Air Transport Wing, contributed to the UN mission by transporting UN troops to Port-au-Prince. The A400M transported approximately eighty soldiers from Chad. After disembarking the troops, the aircraft returned to Santo Domingo.

After the flight, two bullet holes were discovered in the aircraft: one in the tail and the other in the engine. No one was injured. The aircraft was reportedly targeted just before landing in Port-au-Prince. The necessary temporary repairs were carried out on the A400M, and the aircraft returned safely to its base in Brussels.

_{© ​ BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}