Filipino peacekeepers released

MANILA, Philippines (5th UPDATE) – The four Filipino peacekeepers abducted in the Golan Heights earlier this week have been released Sunday, May 12.

They were released around 8 am local time (around 2 pm Philippine time), and are now in the custody of the Philippine batallion led by Lt Col Nollie Anquillano, Brig Gen Domingo Tutaan Jr., spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told Rappler.

“They were brought to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force’s (UNDOF’s) base in the Golan Heights, Camp Ziuoani, for medical check-up and stress debriefing,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

The DFA emphasized the impartiality of the UNDOF in its task to monitor the Disengagement of Forces Agreement, and reiterated its call for all parties to “respect the freedom of movement and safety and security of peacekeepers in UNDOF.”

“The Philippine Government and its people express deep appreciation to the United Nations (UN) and to all those who have exerted and contributed to the collective efforts to effect the safe release of all four (4) UNDOF members,” the DFA said.

“The AFP is thankful for the safe release of our four peacekeepers,” the AFP said in a press release.

The peacekeepers were abducted Tuesday, May 7, as they were patrolling near the Al Jamiyah locality in the ceasefire zone between Israel and Syria.

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, a rebel Syrian group, admitted to the kidnapping in a bid to “secure and protect” them from Syrian government forces’ attacks, Al Jazeera reported.

Last March 6, the area was also the scene of the abduction of 21 other Filipino peacekeepers. They were freed 3 days later.

The two kidnapping incidents have prompted the Philippine government to mull pulling out its peacekeeping force from the area.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which has been in the Golan Heights since 1974, has about 1,000 troops and civilian staff.

The 917 troops from Austria, India, the Philippines, Morocco and Moldova carry only very light arms.

The United Nations sent extra armored personnel carriers, ambulances and other security equipment to the force after the March 6-9 abduction.

Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, has occupied 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights, which it annexed in 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community. – With reports from Cai Ordinario and KD Suarez/Rappler.com, with reports from Agence France-Presse