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.
READ MORE: Irish soldier Shane Kearney out of hospital and on road to recovery after Lebanon ambush
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."
Trooper Kearney suffered blunt force trauma to the head when the armoured UN vehicle he was travelling in was attacked in the coastal village of Al-Aqbiya on December 14.
The convoy was en route from their UNIFIL base to Beirut Airport for a flight home when it was ambushed.
Two vehicles containing Irish peacekeepers heading home on compassionate leave became separated with one then surrounded by an angry mob.
Shots were fired at the Irish vehicle – with tragic Private Rooney hit in the head. His vehicle then overturned while Trooper Kearney was left with critical blunt trauma injuries to the head.
Last month, Lebanese authorities charged seven suspects over Private Rooney’s murder. Local media said the men were all charged with taking part in the attack. The reports also said three of the men were in custody – but four others were on the run.
READ NEXT:
