By Efe Ozkan and Enes Yildirim
ISTANBUL (AA) - Four pieces of ammunition fell Friday on various points in the city of Smara in the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco.
While there were no casualties or property damage from the incident, the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) launched an investigation.
The munitions fragments hit the vicinity of the Lazab neighborhood, near the MINURSO headquarters, and around the Smara Airport. Sources reported that explosions were heard in the city prior to the shelling and panic ensued in the region, which was experiencing a heat wave.
Authorities and security forces were dispatched to the area after the shelling and launched an investigation.
- Polisario Front claims responsibility for attack
The Sahara Press Service (SPS), affiliated with the Polisario Front, announced that an attack had been carried out against Moroccan soldiers in Smara and the operation had been conducted by the group.
A statement claimed that armed groups called the “Sahara People's Liberation Army” had struck Moroccan military targets, causing loss of life and equipment.
MINURSO conducted a field visit to areas where the munitions fell, accompanied by the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces. The investigations assessed the types of munitions, explosion sites and whether a ceasefire had been violated.
The technical report to be prepared is expected to be included in the annual Western Sahara report submitted by the UN secretary-general to the Security Council each year, which is expected to be discussed in October.
- MINURSO mission
The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara was established by UN Security Council Resolution 690 under a ceasefire agreement reached between Morocco and the Polisario Front in 1991.
The mission is tasked with managing the preparatory process for a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara will decide on independence or integration with Morocco.
Operating with an integrated structure comprising civilian, military and police components, MINURSO is led by the secretary-general's special representative.