Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape happened as the men slipped away from their captors' clutches under the cover of darkness around midnight on Sunday, according to multiple reports. The military reports that the 40 Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape occurred after a seven-hour gun battle with Syrian rebels.
The rebels reportedly rammed their Golan Heights outpost with armed trucks, said the Philippine military on Sunday.
According to the AFP, all those involved in the Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape were able to reach safety, along with other soldiers serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Middle East flashpoint zone. The military chief said some of the rebels, linked to Al-Qaeda, surrounded them and demanded their weapons on Thursday.
Despite the Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape, the whereabouts of 44 UN peacekeepers from Fiji also captured by the insurgents remain unknown.
The AFP reports the Fijians have been held captive by rebels even before the Filipinos' capture.
The troops from the Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape are reportedly part of a UN peacekeeping force stationed in the area since 1974. They monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Syria as part of commitment to the UN.
According to the Associated Press, the Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape, combined with the departure of another entrapped group of Filipino troops is key in solving a crisis which erupted on Thursday. The crisis involved Syrian rebels beginning to target the peacekeeping forces on Thursday.
Since the incident, the United Nations Security Council has reportedly condemned the assaults on the international troops which kept an eye on the Syrian-Israeli frontier. They demanded the unconditional release of those remaining in captivity.
The AP reports that the crisis started when Syrian rebels overran the Quneitra crossing located on the de facto border between Syrian-and Israeli-controlled parts of the Golan Heights on Wednesday.
A day later, rebels from the Nusra Front seized the Fijian peacekeepers whilst surrounding Filipino peacekeepers as well. The insurgents demanded their surrender.
The Filipinos, who are occupying two UN encampments, refused to surrender and on Saturday, they decided to fight the rebels. While on armoured vehicles, Irish and Filipino forces escorted Irish and Filipino forces out of a UN encampment in Breiqa.
The second encampment called Rwihana, meanwhile, still had 40 peacekeepers besieged by then. More than 100 gunmen reportedly rammed the camp's gates with their trucks and fired mortar rounds. According to military officials, the Filipinos returned fire in self-defense.
Colonel Roberto Ancan, a Philippine military official who helped monitor the tense standoff from the Philippine capital, Manila, and mobilise support for the besieged troops said that the Syrian government forces later fired artillery rounds from a distance to keep the Filipino peacekeepers from getting overwhelmed.
As night fell and a ceasefire took hold, the Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape took place as 40 Filipinos fled with their weapons. Philippine officials said they had to travel in chilling temperatures for nearly two hours. They eventually met with other UN forces and were escorted to safety early Sunday.
Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr. told reporters in a press conference at Manila, "We may call it the greatest escape."
Catapang praised the soldiers saying, "Although [the troops] were outnumbered, we escaped from the rebels in the middle of the night while the rebels were sleeping."
The Philippine President's spokesman, Herminio Coloma, issued a statement giving thanks to the UN force as well as Syria, Israel, Qatar and the United States for their assistance in the crisis.
However, the spokesman did not elaborate on each country's roles.
However, according to the AFP, head of peacekeeping operations, Colonel Roberto Ancan said separately Syrians had provided "indirect fire support" which helped the besieged Filipinos.
Meanwhile, with regard to the Fiji peacekeepers still held captive, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon reportedly spoke with Fiji prime minister on Sunday via telephone. Ban Ki-moon promised that the UN is "doing its utmost to obtain the unconditional and immediate release" of the Fijian peacekeepers.
According to the Fiji Times Online, Fiji's military commander has expressed concern over the fact that the exact locations of the Fijian peacekeepers are still unknown.
Meanwhile, the Nusra Front confirmed it has seized the Fijians. The group published a photo online in a statement saying that the Fiji men "are in a safe place and in good health, and everything they need in terms of food and medicine is given to them."
However, the statement made no mention of demands or conditions with regard to the peacekeepers' release.
There are an estimated 1,200 peacekeepers from six countries serving in Golan Heights as of July. The Philippines reportedly has about 300 peacekeepers currently deployed and the country has been sending contingents to Golan Heights since 2009 in commitment to the UN.
Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights escape may have put the men's lives at risk, but according to the AFP, when asked what the Filipino peacekeepers would do now, an official said, "We continue our mission. Our commitment is still there."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
