Forty-three United Nations peacekeepers in the Golan Heights were captured by Syrian rebels on Thursday.
“During a period of increased fighting beginning yesterday between armed elements and Syrian Arab Armed Forces within the area of separation in the Golan Heights, 43 peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were detained early this morning by an armed group in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah,” the international body said in a statement.
The UNDOF troops from Fiji were captured during intense fighting between Islamic militants and the Syrian army near the Quneitra crossing, the only crossing between portions of the Golan Heights controlled by Syria and Israel. According to AFP, the soldiers’ weapons were taken from them before they were transported to the southern part of the buffer zone.
Another 81 UNDOF soldiers from the Philippines were besieged by insurgents in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah. Quoting the Philippines’ defense department, AFP reported that the troops refused to disarm and are now “restricted to their positions”.
Militants belonging to Nusra Front, a group with links to al Qaeda, were also involved in the attacks.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 War. Under the Resolution 350, a demilitarised zone overseen by UNDOF was established. Currently, more than 1,200 peacekeepers from Fiji, the Philippines, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands are stationed there.
