Irish peacekeepers in East Timor confrontation

A group of armed militia were involved in an incident with Irish troops in East Timor earlier today.

The Irish peacekeepers, who were on a patrol of the region, were threatened by the gang at an outpost about one day's journey from their headquarters.

A number shots were fired by the Irish troops, but there were no injuries.

Defence Forces' spokesperson Paul Connors described the incident as unusual and said Irish troops are generally not attacked.