Soldier with 188th Armored Brigade left behind – again
Mere month after soldier was accidently forgotten in Ramallah same brigade leaves another solder near Palestinian village of Rantis. IDF inquiry launched
Just one month after a soldier with the IDF's 188th Armored Brigade was accidently left behind in Ramallah, Ynet learned of a similar event at the same brigade.
According to details obtained Thursday, IDF forces deployed on checkpoint duty near the Palestinian village of Rantis, northwest of the West Bank city of Ramallah, launched an on-foot pursuit after Palestinian metal thieves.
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During the chase, one of the soldiers tripped and fell. The rest of the force continued ahead, losing sight of the soldier. The thieves were caught and handed over to the police, but the soldier was left in the field, near the Palestinian village of a-Luban.
Once his absence was detected, another IDF force was dispatched to collect him. Overall, the soldier was left in the field for 10 minutes.
No decision as to any disciplinary action against the forces' commander has been made at this time.
The troops' commander – and all other IDF officers in the sectors – was briefed on the inquiry findings pertaining to the previous incident, which ended with the dismissal of the force's commanding officer.
Military sources told Ynet that the circumstances of the case were exacerbated by the fact that the defense establishment has concrete threats indicating terror groups are eager to abduct an IDF soldier.
The IDF says that more than 12 attempted abductions have taken place over the past year.
Israel also has reports suggesting that Palestinian security services have foiled to such attempts by Hamas' military wing to kidnap soldiers in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Qalqilya.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said: "The case in question pertains to operational activities during which suspects were pursued and eventually caught. Like all other operational activities, this case will be reviewed as well."
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