Report: Israeli soldier who ordered killing of 15 paramedics works as mercenary in DRC Congo

Nikolai Ashurov, an Israeli commander accused of ordering and taking part in the killing of 15 paramedics, rescue workers and UN staff in Rafah, has surfaced in the DRC Congo as a mercenary training local forces, Al-Quds newspaper reported.

On 30 March, the Palestinian Civil Defence said the bodies of 15 paramedics, rescue workers and UN staff were found in a mass grave in Rafah, each with around 20 gunshot wounds. They had gone missing a week earlier after responding to a distress call.

A legal draft reviewed by Al-Quds and compiled by legal experts from the New York-based Pal Commission, which included military records, social media activity and multiple interactions with acquaintances and soldiers connected to the officer, proved that Ashurov ordered the ambulances to be fired at indiscriminately as soon as they passed, the report said.

According to an eyewitness, Dr Saeed al-Bardawil, who was detained by Israeli forces and witnessed the crime first-hand, Ashurov himself opened fire on a UN vehicle, killing Kamal Shahtout, the UN field security officer in Rafah.

Three days after he was discharged from the Israeli military, Ashurov went to work for a private security company in DRC Congo, Al-Quds reported.