MANILA, Philippines - By defying orders from their Indian commander, the 40 Filipino peacekeepers belonging to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) managed to hold their ground and avoid being overpowered by attacking al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels last Saturday.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang yesterday said he learned of this detail after talking to the troops under the command of Capt. Nilo Ramones Jr. through video-teleconference.
Catapang said Indian Maj. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha ordered the Filipino troops to lay down their weapons and surrender to the rebels, reportedly to secure the release of 43 Fijian peacekeepers captured by the Syrian rebels.
“He ordered the surrender of our firearms because he (UNDOF commander) wanted to save the Fijians at the expense of the Philippines. It’s not our fault why they (Fijian) were held hostage in the first place,” Catapang said.
Singha was the replacement of former UNDOF commander Filipino Marine Maj. Gen. Natalio Ecarma.
Catapang said he told the UNDOF commander to ensure the safety of the Filipinos first before tapping them to secure the release of the Fijians.
Holed up in positions 68 and 69 and surrounded by rebels, the Filipinos – apprised by the AFP of what had befallen the Fijians – decided to dig in and prepare for a fight.
The Philippine battalion headquarters in Golan Heights under Col. Ted Dumusnog and the Philippine Peacekeeping Operations Center in Tarlac under Col. Roberto Ancan endorsed the troops’ decision to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and to Catapang.
Gazmin and Catapang approved the troops’ decision not to surrender, in coordination with the UN leadership as well as with friendly states.
“He was unstable. He kept on changing his orders. It is but proper that an investigation be conducted to include him (UNDOF commander),” Catapang said, referring to the UNDOF Indian commander.
While the UNDOF commander has overall authority over UN peacekeepers, major decisions, especially during crisis situations, still depend on the rules of engagement of troops on the ground, the AFP chief stressed.
Catapang said the Filipino troops’ decision to hold their ground and fight the rebels for more than seven hours last Saturday was well within the self-security protection mandate of the UN.
At one point during the crisis, the rebels relayed to the UNDOF commander that the Filipino troops would be allowed to go if they lay down their arms and leave their encampment with a white flag.
“Fighting had already taken place. Without their guns to defend themselves, the next rebels’ move would be to capture our troops and take them hostage. If that happened, the problem of the UNDOF commander would be much bigger,” Catapang said.
He added that while Syrian rebels claimed that the surrender of firearms was symbolic – as per assurance by the UNDOF commander – such gesture would be unthinkable for Filipino soldiers.
“For us soldiers, it is not symbolic. It is our honor that is at stake,” Catapang stressed.
The 40 soldiers are now at Camp Ziouni, home of the Philippine battalion.