Phl to send new team to Golan Heights

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine peacekeeping contingent that experienced kidnappings in Golan Heights is expected to return home this month and replaced by another team.

The tour of duty of the sixth contingent to Golan Heights will end on Aug. 11, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said yesterday.

He said the next batch of peacekeepers consists of about 340 Army soldiers and will be deployed to the disputed area also this month.

“Our soldiers in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation Center are ready for the rotation (of personnel). They are now undergoing training and are now preparing for Aug. 11,” Zagala said in an interview.

Last March, 21 Filipino soldiers were kidnapped in a ceasefire zone between Syria and Israel. Four other members were kidnapped in the same area on May 7.

All the 25 peacekeepers were freed by their captors but the kidnappings have raised concerns among countries deploying peacekeepers to the UN.

In June, a member of the same Philippine contingent was hurt after mortar rounds believed to have been fired by Syrian rebels landed in Camp Ziouni, a UN logistics headquarters in Golan Heights.

Because of these incidents, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recommended a pullout of Filipino peacekeepers in the area, the subject of a territorial dispute between Israel and Syria.

DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario, however, agreed to continue sending troops to Golan Heights after the UN vowed to implement measures to ensure their safety.

The Philippines has been deploying troops to Golan Heights since November 2009 as part of its commitment to maintain global peace.