"The United Nations has received assurances from credible sources that the 44 peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) who were taken from their position on the morning of Thursday, 28 August, are safe and in good health," the spokesman said in an emailed note to the press here.
"UNDOF has been in regular contact with the peacekeepers who are confined in two UNDOF positions (68 and 69) and can confirm they have not been harmed and are in good health," the spokesman said.
However, "UNDOF has not yet had direct contact with these peacekeepers," he said.
The 44 peacekeepers from the UNDOF, who are all from Fiji, were detained by armed elements of the Syrian opposition amid increased fighting in the area between Syrian government forces and armed groups.
"UNDOF has been informed that the intention behind those holding the peacekeepers was to remove them from an active battlefield to a safe area for their own protection," the spokesman said.
UNDOF on Wednesday said that several mortar rounds struck near its positions as Syrian rebel fighters, including some from Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, stormed the crossing in deadly fighting with Syrian government troops.
"The United Nations is engaging -- continues to engage -- with a wide range of parties within Syria, and is making every effort to ensure the safety and security of its personnel," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here earlier Friday.
"The UN is also engaging with member states who may have influence over armed opposition elements to encourage the safe release of the peacekeepers," he said.
Twenty-five Philippine peacekeepers serving with UNDOF were detained by armed elements in March and May of 2013. They were released safely shortly afterward.
Peacekeepers serving with UNDOF monitor the 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war. As of July 31, there are 1,223 peacekeepers from six countries -- Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the Philippines -- serving in the force.
In June, the UN Security Council extended UNDOF's mandate for another six months, until Dec. 31, 2014.
Xinhua, china.org.cn
30/8/14
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UN tries to locate Fijian peacekeepers seized on Golan Heights...
ReplyDeleteUN officials shuttled along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, trying to establish the whereabouts of 44 United Nations peacekeepers seized by al-Qaeda-linked militants inside Syria.
Israeli forces took up positions at Quneitra, a fortified crossing between Syria and the Golan, barely 400 metres (437 yards) from Nusra Front militants who attacked a UN base on the Syrian side of the border on Wednesday and seized the 44 Fijians.
Some 72 other UN soldiers, all from the Philippines, remained locked down in two camps on the Syrian side of the frontier, UN officials and military officials in the Philippines said. All 116 peacekeepers are part of UNDOF, a UN force that has monitored the disengagement zone between Israel and Syria since 1974 in the wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
UNDOF officials declined to comment as they left one of their compounds. UNDOF has 1,223 peacekeepers from six countries operating in the zone.
Israeli soldiers, including some redeployed from Gaza, prevented anyone from moving too close to the border.
"We're not doing anything, we're just watching," said an Israeli officer, his platoon hunkered down behind a mound of rocks a few hundred yards back from the crossing, the blue UN flag fluttering above the compound in the near distance.....................http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/168367/un-tries-to-locate-fijian-peacekeepers-seized-on-golan-heights
29-30/8/14
Filipino UN peacekeepers in Golan clash with Syrian rebels...
ReplyDeleteMANILA: Philippine UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights clashed with Syrian rebels on Saturday (Aug 30), Defence Minister Voltaire Gazmin said in Manila. He said in an SMS statement to reporters that the Filipino troops had been "extricated" from one of their two positions but added that another group of Filipino soldiers "is now under attack".
He was referring to two positions on the Golan Heights where more than 70 Filipino troops had previously been surrounded by Syrian rebels. The peacekeepers were besieged by rebels on Thursday but defied demands that they give up their weapons. On Friday, Syrian fighters took 43 Fijian soldiers hostage on the Golan Heights.
Asked if there was a fresh firefight on Saturday, Gazmin replied: "Yes". He said the clash took place at "6am, Syria time," (11am Singapore time) but added that "morale is high" among the troops.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala later told AFP that "there is still an ongoing standoff but there was a firefight earlier today". "All our troops are safe," he said, adding that the defence minister and head of the military were monitoring developments. He declined to elaborate further on the incident......................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/filipino-un-peacekeepers/1337604.html