September 12, 2014

45 Fijian peacekeepers held in the Golan Heights released


Philippines to end Syria peacekeeping mission. Decision comes after a commander ordered Filipino troops to surrender to rebels in the Golan Heights last week.



The United Nations has confirmed the release of all 45 Fijian peacekeepers who had been held for two weeks by the rebels in the Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border.

A UN statement statement said the soldiers, all in good condition, had been freed on Thursday and would undergo medical assessment.The Fijians were kidnapped last month by the Nusra Front battling the Syrian army after the rebels overran a crossing point in the so-called disengagement zone that the UN peacekeeping mission known as UNDOF has monitored since 1974.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the soldiers had crossed into Israeli-held territory after their release.The Fijians had been captured about 8km away from 70 Philippine troops, who were rescued following an attack on their post on the Syrian side of the border.Syria's three-year civil war reached the frontier with Israeli-controlled territory last month when rebel fighters overran a crossing point in the line that has separated Israelis from Syrians in the Golan Heights since a 1973 war.The UN force monitors the area of separation, a narrow strip of land running about 70km from Mount Hermon on the Lebanese border to the Yarmouk River frontier with Jordan.

UN force in Syria comprises 1,223 soldiers from Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the Philippines.

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