Johannesburg - UN-deployed South African snipers have killed six M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a military union official said Thursday.
"We hit targets on at least six occasions with snipers," said South African Defence Union national secretary Pikkie Greeff. "In one case the target was 2.2km away."
"On Saturday a South African sniper took out a machine gun post," he added.
Defence Force spokesperson Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga confirmed South Africa forces had engaged rebels, but could not elaborate on the sniper reports.
South African soldiers are part of a UN intervention brigade, which has an unprecedented mandate to battle the armed movements long active in eastern Congo.
They are fighting the M23 rebel movement, a predominantly ethnic Tutsi force that deserted from the army last year and been battling the regular army in the Goma area in sporadic clashes broke a July truce.
Greeff said that on Wednesday Russian-made Mi-24P helicopters belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force also joined the airstrikes on rebel targets around Goma.
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