PH military wants UN commander probed

Armed Forces chief of staff General Gregorio Catapang Jr said he wants the UN commander of Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights investigated for making bad calls during the tense standoff between Philippine troops and Syrian rebels last week. Catapang told reporters it was Lt General Iqbal Singh Singha, commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, who had ordered the Filipino troops to agree to the rebels’ demand to surrender their weapons. But the soldiers defied his orders and instead plotted their own escape from the area, Catapang told reporters. “It’s a no go. If you give up your firearms, what will happen? What are you going to do to defend yourself? In the rules of engagement, you can use deadly force to defend yourself and the UN facilities,” explained another Filipino commander.

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