UN: Armed group detains 43 peacekeepers in Syria

An armed group detained 43 United Nations peacekeepers during fighting in Syria’s Golan Heights on Thursday and another 81 peacekeepers are trapped in the area, the the U.N. said.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the 43 detained peacekeepers are from Fiji. The 81 troops who have had their movements restricted are from the Philippines.

The peacekeepers were detained on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights during a "period of increased fighting between armed elements and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces," the office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a news release. It said another 81 peacekeepers are "currently being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah."

The statement did not specify which armed group was holding the peacekeepers. Various Syrian rebel groups, including the Al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, have been fighting the Syrian military near the Golan Heights. On Wednesday, opposition fighters captured a Golan Heights crossing point on the disputed border between Syria and Israel.

"The situation is extremely fluid. Obviously, we are very concerned," Dujarric said.

"We are dealing with non-state armed actors," he said. "The command and control of these groups is unclear. We're not in a position to confirm who is holding whom. Some groups self-identified as being affiliated with al-Nusra, however, we are unable to confirm it."

The U.N. news release said the agency "is making every effort to secure the release of the detained peacekeepers," who are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the mission that has been monitoring a 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war.

Israel captured part of the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed the area in a move that is not internationally recognized. Syria retained the rest of the territory.

The Security Council condemned the detention of the 43 peacekeepers and the restriction of movement of the other 81, and called for their immediate release. A rapidly drafted press statement blamed "Security Council-designated terrorist groups" and "members of non-state armed groups."

In June, the U.N. Security Council strongly condemned the intense fighting between Syrian government and opposition fighters in the Golan Heights, and demanded an end to all military activity in the area. Syrian mortars overshooting their targets have repeatedly hit the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, and U.N. peacekeepers have been abducted.

Thursday's statement noted that UNDOF peacekeepers were detained by armed forces in March and May were later safely released.

As of July, UNDOF has 1,223 troops from six countries: Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands and the Philippines.

The Philippine government last week said it would bring home its 331 peacekeeping forces from the Golan Heights after their tour of duty ends in October, amid the region’s deteriorating security situation.

In June 2013 Austria said it was withdrawing its 377 U.N. peacekeepers from the Golan Heights. Croatia also withdrew in 2013 amid fears its troops would be targeted.

The Associated Press