DAKAR, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Staff Sergeant Si Chongxu, one of the five Chinese peacekeepers wounded in a Tuesday attack on the United Nations mission in Mali, managed to greet visiting Chinese Ambassador to Senegal Zhang Xu on Friday, despite his severe wound and serious condition.
He asked Zhang whether he could return to Mali to continue his duty for peacekeeping there after his wound heals, when the Chinese ambassador went to the Dakar Central Hospital to visit Si and Li Tao, another Chinese peacekeeper severely wounded in the attack.
Si and Li were wounded Tuesday evening in an attack by mortars or rockets at a Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in the Water Tower neighborhood of Gao, which killed one Chinese peacekeeper and left five Chinese peacekeepers wounded.
Si and Li were sent to Senegal on Wednesday for medical treatment as their wounds were severe.
Si was wounded in the face, ears and legs. But he said he wanted to return to the Gao region to rejoin his fellow soldiers after he recovers.
"I don't want to give up halfway," he said.
He also expressed thanks to the Chinese government, military, embassy, medical teams, enterprises and many other people who have extended a lot of assistance to him.
Ambassador Zhang conveyed to the wounded Chinese peacekeepers greetings from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the State Council and the Central Military Commission.
Zhang said that the motherland and all people at home deeply care about Chinese peacekeepers overseas.
He also said that Senegal has attached great importance to the conditions of the two wounded Chinese peacekeepers and Senegalese President Macky Sall has pledged to make all-out efforts to offer the best medical services to them.
Learning reports about the wounded Chinese peacekeepers, overseas Chinese and Chinese enterprises in Senegal have immediately acted to offer help.
The Chinese medical team stationed in Senegal sent doctors and nurses to the Dakar Central Hospital to work together with Senegalese medical workers to help the wounded Chinese peacekeepers recover.
