21 Filipino peacekeepers taken by Syrian rebels

21 United Nations (UN) peacekeepers from the Philippines were seized by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights on Wednesday, March 6. Armed Forces spokesman Col Arnulfo Burgos said those kidnapped included 18 soldiers and their 3 officers.The Golan Heights is situated between Syria and Israel. A spokesman of the rebels who numbered about 30 said the peacekeepers will remain in custody until Syrian forces pull out of the area. Abu Kaid al-Faleh of the rebel Yarmuk Martyrs Brigade threatened to treat the UN troops as prisoners, accusing the UN Disengagement Force of working with the army to suppress the insurgency. About a million Syrians have fled since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad erupted two years ago. The rebels took control of the northern city of Raqa and claimed that Assad could be ousted “within a month” if Western nations supported the insurgency. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has appealed to the Syrian rebels to release the Filipino peacekeepers.

Read the full story on Rappler.
The story on the Philippine government’s appeal is on Rappler.
More details are on the BBC.