75 UN Troops Evacuate From Golan Into Israel, 44 Still Held by al-Qaeda

Irish Troops Rescue Phillippines Peacekeepers After Nusra Attack

The move by al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra against UN monitors in the Golan Heights picked up pace today, when they attacked the Rwihana base, where 40 of the Philippines’ 75 troops were.

Irish troops who are part of a UN rapid response were sent in to rescue them, and all 75 of the Philippines troops are now reported to have crossed into neighboring Israeli territory.

There were unconfirmed reports of people killed in the fighting, though the Philippines maintains that there were no casualties at all. 44 Fijian troops previously captured by al-Nusra remain unaccounted for, and held in an unknown location.

UN officials condemned the detentions and demanded the immediate release of the Fijians, though there is no indication that is going to happen, especially after today’s fighting with other UN forces in the area.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.