All Philippine UN peacekeepers in Golan now safe: military

All 75 Filipino troops serving as UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights are now safe after the last batch slipped away under cover of night from besieging Syrian rebels, a military spokesman said Sunday.

“Everyone is in a safe position. We left our (old) position but we brought all our arms,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala.

An initial group of 35 Filipino troops were picked up from their position by UN armoured vehicles on Saturday after Syrian rebels attacked their comrades positioned about four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) away, said Zagala.

The remaining 40 soldiers engaged the Syrian rebels in a “seven-hour firefight”, but later walked to safety to a UN position just over two kilometres away, he added.

They later moved to Camp Ziouani behind UN lines, he said.

“There is no more standoff. All are safe,” he told AFP.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack on UN peacekeepers, by non-state actors he said included the Al-Nusra Front, Ban’s spokesperson said.

Ban called for the immediate release of peacekeepers who had been detained, a call echoed later Saturday by a Security Council resolution.

However, “we are still working towards the safe release of the detained 44 Fijian peacekeepers,” it added.

The peacekeepers were besieged by rebels Thursday but defied demands that they give up their weapons.

An AFP photographer heard intense small arms and missile fire in the buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied part of the strategic plateau and the Syrian part, where the blue helmets are being held.

Irish soldiers with UNDOF, which is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the armistice line between Israel and Syria, took part in the evacuation of the UN troops, the Irish military said.

“Irish personnel secured a route, provided security as UNDOF troops withdrew from a UN position and escorted them to the Force Headquarters in Camp Faouar” on the Syrian side of the armistice line, the Irish statement said.

The Israeli military has cordoned off the area and reinforced its troop presence, an AFP photographer said.

Rebels, including some linked to Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, also took hostage 44 Fijian peacekeepers, the UN has said.

A UN statement on Friday said the world body “has received assurances from credible sources” that the Fijians “are safe and in good health” although their mission has had no contact with them.

But a senior Fijian military official told reporters in Suva on Saturday that their location was unknown.

“Their whereabouts at this stage, unfortunately, I cannot confirm,” Brigadier Mosese Tikoitoga said after speaking to the head of the UN team negotiating for their release.

“They confirmed that our men are safe and they are all well. (But) they have been moved to a location out of the bombardment range of any security forces or the Syrian security forces.

There are currently 1,200 peacekeepers serving in UNDOF from the Philippines, Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands.

UNDOF has been tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between Syria and Israel since 1974.

All Philippine UN peacekeepers in Golan now safe: military