The peacekeepers from the United Nations mission were held by an armed group of rebels in Golan Heights, the United Nations reported on Thursday.
Forty-three peacekeepers from the UN mission were captured near the delineation line between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by an armed group of rebels. Syrian rebels and the government authorities have been aggressively conflicting in the area, especially in Quneitra, the only border crossing between the Israeli-held terrain and Syria. The combatants from a number of Syrian rebels groups, including the Nusra Front, which is Al Qaeda affiliated, seized control of the border from Syrian government forces on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by the United Nations, the agency is said to be making every possible effort to secure the release of the captured peacekeepers from the UN mission in Golan Heights. The agency did not identify the captors, but it probably appeared that they were the rebel fighters. According to the United Nations, a number of peacekeepers were also held by the rebels last year and were later released unscathed.
The anti-government militants in the area who work with the rebels were not instantaneously available for comment.
On Thursday, the combat continued in the border region. The Syrian administration mounted airstrikes and killed at least three rebels, conveying the total opposition death in the conflict to 16 since Wednesday. The Syrian government did not comment on the battle near the border or reported whether any of its soldiers had been slain.
The United Nations reported that they were confining another 81 peacekeepers in the area to their bases because of the ongoing conflict.
The nationalities of the captured peacekeepers from the UN mission in Golan Heights were not immediately clear. The peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights known as the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force included peacekeepers from India, Ireland, Fiji, the Netherlands, Nepal, and the Philippines. Since 1974, the force has been observing a ceasefire and military disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel.
With these reports, we are truly hoping for the safety of the peacekeepers from the UN mission held by the rebels in Golan Heights and may they be released unharmed soon.
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