Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria hold UN workers hostage
The head of the Fijian army said on Sunday negotiations for the release of 44 soldiers abducted by an al Qaeda-linked group on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights were being pursued as the United Nations said it had no word on the troops whereabouts.Do they realize this was bound to happen sooner or later, and al Qaeda was bound to take UN employees hostage, even killing them? Unfortunately, they're unlikely to learn their lesson, and more situations like this could occur.
The U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji were seized by Islamist militants on Thursday, one of several groups attacked in the volatile frontier between Syria and Israel. U.N. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity that they were now treating it as a case of kidnapping.
The United Nations and Manila said on Sunday all 72 Philippine troops trapped by Islamists in a different area of the frontier were now safe, but it is still not known where the 44 Fijians are being held.
"At this time, no additional information on their status or location has been established. The United Nations continues to actively seek their immediate and unconditional release," the U.N. press office said in a statement.
Fijian Army Commander Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga told a media conference in Fiji that they "are continuing negotiations at all levels."
He said they had been assured that the men were being treated well and had come to no harm, he said.
"However, we are still very concerned that we cannot confirm at this stage their exact location, whether they are still in Syria or whether they have been moved to neighboring countries," Tikoitoga said.
Labels: Asia, dhimmitude, islam, jihad, military, syria, terrorism, UN corruption