These UN peacekeepers are doing a great job, aren’t they? It is a wonder that, seeing the Islamic jihadists coming, the peacekeepers didn’t cry out, “Hail, comrade!” and rush to embrace them.
“U.N. says 43 Golan peacekeepers seized by militants, 81 trapped,” by Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, August 28, 2014 (thanks to Maxwell):
(Reuters) – Militants fighting the Syrian army have detained 43 U.N. peacekeepers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and trapped another 81 in the region as the world body works to secure their release, the United Nations said on Thursday.
The affected peacekeepers are from the Philippines and Fiji, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“During a period of increased fighting beginning yesterday between armed elements and Syrian Arab Armed Forces within the area of separation in the Golan Heights, 43 peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were detained early this morning by an armed group in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah,” the U.N. press office said in a statement.
It added that another 81 UNDOF peacekeepers were being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah. Dujarric said the 81 trapped troops were from the Philippines and the 43 seized ones from Fiji.
“The United Nations is making every effort to secure the release of the detained peacekeepers, and to restore the full freedom of movement of the force throughout its area of operation,” it said.
Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, president of the Security Council this month, told reporters the trapped peacekeepers were surrounded by Islamist militants.
The 15-nation Security Council, which was meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria, was also discussing the issue of the kidnapped peacekeepers, Lyall Grant said.
The council later issued a statement strongly condemning the seizure of the peacekeepers and calling for their immediate release.
The Quneitra crossing on the Golan is a strategic plateau captured by Israel in a 1967 Middle East war. Syria and Israel technically remain at war. Syrian troops are not allowed in an area of separation under a 1973 ceasefire formalized in 1974.
UNDOF monitors the area of separation, a narrow strip of land running about 45 miles (70 km) from Mount Hermon on the Lebanese border to the Yarmouk River frontier with Jordan. There are 1,223 UNDOF peacekeepers from six countries.
Before the Syrian civil war, now in its fourth year, the region was generally quiet and the peacekeepers had mostly found their biggest enemy to be boredom.
The force’s personnel come from Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the Philippines. The United Nations said this week that the Philippines has decided to pull out of UNDOF, and from a U.N. force in Liberia, which is struggling with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.
Blue-helmeted U.N. troops were seized by militants in March and May 2013. In both of those cases they were released safely.
Austria, Japan and Croatia have all pulled their troops out of UNDOF due to the deteriorating security situation and spillover from the Syrian war.
Joseph says
Beautiful. Rotflmao. This should be interesting.
Joseph says
Why don’t they call their close friends over in Gaza to see if they will come and rescue them.
45charlie says
Will this wake the UN up ??? Probably not !
Buraq says
Call me cynical if you like, but that’s 43 more converts to Islam and a lot of jizya to be paid to get them back. Betcha’!
Gail Griffin says
Well I was married to a Fijiian UN officer stationed in Lebanon. They are Methodist. Doubt they will convert. They are pretty good soldiers.
Kepha says
Actually, I hope these Filipinos and Fijians escape their captors–and may their captors meet the speedy martyrdom they so crave (perhaps at Israeli hands?)
Carlos says
I think UN, if somehow wants to condemn the situation, should show “restraint”!
[FA] says
Surely Ban Ki took lessons from Obama and knows all it take is some dialogue and an iftar dinner to bring peace.
gravenimage says
Islamic jihadists capture 43 UN peacekeepers in Golan Heights
………………………………………..
And *81 more* are trapped. And this is in territory controlled by “moderate” Fatah…
Aren’t you glad Israel ceded control for the Golan Heights to the UN for peacekeeping? Me neither…
More:
Blue-helmeted U.N. troops were seized by militants in March and May 2013. In both of those cases they were released safely.
………………………………………..
I try to keep a pretty close eye on events in this part of the world, and this is the first time I’ve even heard of this. It certainly wasn’t treated as big news here in the West—but it should have been.
More:
Austria, Japan and Croatia have all pulled their troops out of UNDOF due to the deteriorating security situation and spillover from the Syrian war.
………………………………………..
This is what I’ve been worried about.
Now, the “Palestinians”—both Hamas and Fatah, as well as Jihad splinter groups and “lone wolves”—have *always* been a serious threat to Israel.
But now, Israel may well wind up with the Syrian Jihad—or even the spreading Islamic State—on their very border.
And how much worse will this be if they are being pressured to cede their own security to the inept—and worse, often Jihad-complicit—UN? Suicidal madness…
Oliver says
The Security Council issued a statement condemning—–blah, blah, blah.
And, I guess like the Useless Nations raves and rants on Syria and others who kill Jews and Christians and people other then Muslims ( then they attempt to act mean)
IF THESE “PEACE KEEPERS” ARE NOT RELEASED, The Usless Nations will demand———————————————–WHAT?
My guess- they be sent to bed without dessert. And be told that they are naughty, and should nto do that.
Is that not what the Useless ——- Nations tells Muslims when they kill Jewish civilians in Israel and elsewhere? “You shouldn’t do that?”
it is only when jews and israelis fight back that the Useless nations gets its collective panties in a twist.
My opinions
ECAW says
Here’s a thought. ISIS grows ever stronger, attacks everyone – Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi, Iran along with Syria and Iraq. There’s only one power in the region able to save them – Israel. What do they do?
Beagle says
I am starting to think that paying large ransoms for hostages held by jihadis may not be a good idea.
/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk
But seriously, how is it the entire international community of experts somehow never learned the stories and lessons from Danegeld? Any amount of money you are seriously thinking about paying out to hostage takers should be spent on weapons to kill them. Repeat as necessary.
http://islamforbids.com says
Outstanding .
Vic says
How ironic. Let’s see the corrupt Islamophile UN explain that one.
Uncle Vladdi says
Can hardly wait for Banki-Panki Moon to blame Israel for this debacle, too!