MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 10, 201) – Syrian rebels have released the 21 Filipino peacekeepers they seized in the Golan Heights after four days in captivity.
The Filipinos are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force and their abduction on March 6 drew condemnations from the Philippines and UN member countries.
The rebels freed the UN peacekeepers in Jordan.
“The apprehension and illegal detention of the Filipino peacekeepers are gross violations of international law,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
The captors earlier demanded that President Bashar al-Assad pull out his forces from areas being by rebels in exchange for the safe release of the peacekeepers.
“The main concern of the Philippine Government at this time is to ensure the safety and well-being of our peacekeepers. We wish to reiterate that UNDOF’s freedom of movement and safety and security must be respected by all parties in the area,” Del Rosario said.
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