In this handout photo taken on October 2013 and released by Philippine Armed Forces public affairs office (AFP-PAO) on August 29, 2014 shows officers and men of the 7th Philippine peacekeeping force bound for the Golan Heights posing for photos during their send-off ceremony at the army heradquarters in Manila. Heavily armed Philippine peacekeepers defied Syrian rebels on August 29 in a Golan Heights standoff hours after the gunmen disarmed and took hostage 43 Fijian soldiers there, Filipino authorities said. AP
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has pulled the bulk of its peacekeepers out of the Golan Heights ahead of schedule amid worsening security there, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Friday.
A total of 244 of the 344 Filipino soldiers and staff were to arrive back home later Friday, with the rest flying in the next few days or so, said military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala.
“Troops are being repatriated because of the deteriorating security situation,”
Zagala said, adding that the United Nations had approved the withdrawal. He said the troops were flying home on a UN-chartered plane.
National interest
“Protection of our soldiers is in the national interest,” he said.
Some of the returning troops were part of the contingent that had traded fire last month with al-Qaida-linked Syrian rebels who wanted them to surrender their weapons.
Both batches of returning troops belong to the 7th Philippine Contingent to the Golan Heights led by Lt. Col. Ted Damusmog, which are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Undof), said Zagala.
A smaller batch of 85 soldiers will arrive on Sunday from the Golan Heights, ending a five-year Philippine peacekeeping role that has been marred by Syrian rebel kidnappings and attacks.
Hero’s welcome
Zagala said 15 staff members will remain until they finish their mission with the
Undof.
“They will receive a hero’s welcome,” said Zagala, adding that a motorcade was planned if the stormy weather eases.
They “exhibited courage, bravery and commitment while in the face of overwhelming threat,” he said.
Zagala said the long-planned withdrawal was not connected with differences between Philippine security officials and the UN peacekeeping force commander over the recent handling of the now-resolved hostage crisis involving the Filipino and Fijian troops in the Golan Heights.
The Filipino troops did not surrender their arms and stood their ground in a four-day standoff with the rebels. The standoff ended after a seven-hour fire fight, and the Filipino troops succeeded in escaping the rebel siege of their encampment.
The rebels also disarmed and abducted 45 Fijian peacekeepers who were later freed unharmed.
Overrun by rebels
Some of the UN encampments have been overrun by rebels, with the escalating violence and deteriorated peace and order situation, prompting the repositioning of the peacekeepers, Zagala said.
The Undof also deemed it “practical that the Philippine contingent be repatriated earlier than expected,” he added.
The Undof withdrew hundreds of members of the peacekeeping force from the Syrian side to the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan on Monday after Syrian fighters advanced near their positions.
Even before last month’s standoff, the Philippines had decided not to renew its peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights because of safety concerns.
The Filipino soldiers were scheduled to end their mission in the Golan Heights next month.
Other peacekeepers recalled
More than 100 Filipino UN peacekeepers have also been recalled from Liberia amid the deadly Ebola outbreak there.
Despite the Golan pullout, the Philippines will continue joining UN peacekeeping missions abroad and will be replacing its 150-strong force in Haiti this month,
Zagala said.
“We are still committed to the UN,” he said.
Medical exam, courtesy call
The Philippines also maintains three peacekeeping observers and three staffers in the Ivory Coast and four in the Kashmir region between Indian and Pakistani forces.
Zagala said the returning peacekeepers will undergo the standard medical examinations upon their arrival.
The peacekeepers will pay a courtesy call on President Aquino and the House of Representatives.
Commitment to mission
“The AFP will honor, through a hero’s welcome with their families, the peacekeepers who exhibited courage, bravery and commitment while in the face of overwhelming threat,” said AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang.
Catapang commended the peacekeepers “for showing resolve and determination in fulfilling our country’s commitment to their mission of preserving the integrity of the line of separation between Syria and Israel.” With reports from AFP and AP
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