News Digest

U.N. says detained peacekeepers in Syria are ‘safe and in good health’

United Nations officials have received assurances that 44 peacekeepers detained by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights are safe and in good health, a U.N. spokesman said. Syrian armed fighters, including some linked to the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, stormed a Golan Heights crossing on Wednesday, taking 44 troops from Fiji who were forced to surrender their weapons. It’s not clear whether the 44 Fijian soldiers had been released, but a U.N. statement suggested progress is being made in negotiations to secure their freedom. The rebels surrounded another group of 72 soldiers from the Philippines serving in the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) that is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between Syria and Israel since 1974.

[We’re] informed that the intention of those holding the peacekeepers was to remove them from an active battlefield to a safe area for their own protection.

UNDOF statement

The U.N. mission has 1,223 troops from six countries: Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the Philippines. But the Philippine government last week said it would bring home its 331 peacekeeping forces from the Golan Heights after their tour of duty ends in October, amid the deteriorating security. U.N. officials have been negotiating to secure the release of the blue helmets with the armed groups and countries that may have influence over them. The U.N. Security Council has demanded the “unconditional and immediate release” of the peacekeepers and urged countries with influence to help win their release.