Some of the 21 Filipino United Nations (UN) peacekeepers at the press conference upon their arrival at Jordanian Army Headquarters in Amman Jordan Saturday March, 9, 2012. AP
MANILA, Philippines – The 21 Filipino peacekeepers recently freed by Syrian rebels after almost four days of captivity in Golan Heights are willing to continue their tour of duty, the military said Monday.
Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the 21 have yet to undergo psychological debriefing but have so far did not indicate intentions of going back home.
The 300-plus Army contingent left the country in November last year for the United Nations mission in Golan Heights that would last between six and nine months.
Burgos said the result of the debriefing is important as it will determine if the military should recall the troops.
He added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines “will know from the soldiers what their plans are after the psychological tests.”
The 21 unarmed peacekeepers were abducted during a logistics run last Wednesday in the village of Jamlah by Syrian rebels who demanded a pull out of the troops there.