Syrian rebels surrounded dozens of defiant Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights on Friday and demanded they give up their weapons, hours after taking 43 Fijian soldiers hostage, authorities said.
Seventy-five Filipino members of a United Nations peacekeeping force were defending two posts on the Syrian side of Golan Heights, and were prepared to fight back rather than surrender, their commander in Manila said.
“We can use deadly force in defence of the UN facilities,” Colonel Roberto Ancan told reporters.
“I [would] just like to emphasise our troops are well-armed, they are well-trained … they are well-disciplined warrior peacekeepers.”
Syrian rebels, including fighters from the al Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front, stormed a Golan Heights crossing at Quneitra on Wednesday, sparking an exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops.
Quneitra is the only crossing between the Syrian- and the Israeli-controlled side of the strategic plateau.
The rebels captured 43 Fijian members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on Thursday, forcing them to surrender their weapons then taking them hostage.
Ancan said the rebels then used an English-speaking Fijian hostage to relay their demand to the Filipino peacekeepers to give up their weapons.
The Fijian prime minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, said on Friday that talks were under way to release the hostages, and they were believed to be safe.
“I want to assure the families of the soldiers we are doing everything possible to secure their safe return,” he said.
“The latest information we have is that they are safe and I can say now that the negotiations for their release have already begun.”
Bainimarama said Fiji was “united as a nation in praying for their safe return”.
The UN Security Council strongly condemned the assaults against the peacekeepers, which it said were carried out by “terrorist groups and by members of non-state armed groups”.
The council demanded the “unconditional and immediate release of all the detained United Nations peacekeepers” and urged countries with influence to help win their release.
The Philippine military said the soldiers were occupying two UNDOF posts about 2.5 miles apart.
The United Nations initially said 81 Filipinos were involved in the stand-off. However, Ancan said there were 75.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said it was unclear which group had staged the attacks.
“Some groups are self-identified as affiliated to al-Nusra but we are not able to confirm,” he said. However, the US state department said al-Nusra was definitely involved.
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