Negotiators Working to Secure Release of Fijian Peacekeepers

The commander of Fiji’s Fiji Military Forces said negotiators in Syria are working to secure the release of 45 Fijian peacekeepers detained by militants from the Islamist rebel faction Jabhat Al-Nusra. The location of the Fijian soldiers, who were captured when rebel forces seized a crossing point on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Golan Heights, remains unknown, said Brigadier-General Mosese Tikoitoga.

‘Unfortunately nothing has changed today for our soldiers in Syria we are still yet to confirm where they are located though we have had several analysis of where they may be,’ said Brigadier-General Tikoitoga. ‘We are trying very hard to make sure we increase the pressure both on the UN and the countries that can influence the opposition in Syria.’

The Fijian soldiers were working for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which monitors the Syrian-Israeli border in the Golan Heights region, when they were detained on August 28. The Islamist rebel group demanded compensation for three of its fighters killed in a clash with UN peacekeepers, humanitarian aid for Damascus and to be removed from a UN terror blacklist before it would release the Fijian troops. Credit: YouTube/minfofiji