UN peacekeepers break siege of Syrian rebels

Earlier, a rebel group in Syria captured 44 Fijian soldiers from the UN peacekeeping force and surrounded Philippine soldiers.

All 75 Philippine troops of the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights have broken through the siege by Syrian rebels and retreated to safety, a Syrian military spokesman said on Thursday, as AFP news agency reported. The soldiers have withdrawn with all their weapons from two besieged checkpoints.

United Nations peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights. (Source: UN)

Earlier, the Syrian rebel group captured 44 Fijian UN peacekeepers and surrounded Philippine soldiers at two checkpoints in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights. The militants, suspected of belonging to al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, demanded that the Filipino soldiers lay down their arms and surrender. However, the UN peacekeepers responded by attacking.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the attack on the peacekeepers and demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of all detained peacekeepers”./.

According to VOV