(4th UPDATE) The Armed Forces of the Philippines says the Philippine peacekeepers remain safe 'at the moment'
'BATTALION OF EXCELLENCE': The troops in
A firefight erupted between a group of Filipino peacekeepers and Syrian rebels, Philippine military chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr confirmed to Rappler Saturday afternoon, August 30.
This involves
Position 68 where about 40 troops are deployed. The firefight erupted at 6 am
on Saturday in Syria (11 am Manila time).
"There was a
firefight but I'd like to assure everyone that our troops are safe at the
moment," Philippine military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala
told reporters 5pm on Saturday. He refused to elaborate.
"We are
focusing on the safety of the troops," Zagala added.
The firefight was
still ongoing as of 3 pm (8pm in Manila
The other group
of about 35 troops in Position 69 – located 4 kilometers away – was able to
extricate, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin also told reporters.
On Friday
afternoon, a third group of 58 Filipino peacekeepers were ordered to leave
their posts in Position 60 located in the northern part of Golan to consolidate
in the UNDOF headquarters in Camp
Faouar
There are over
300 Filipino peacekeepers in 5 posts in Golan Heights .
There is no available update on the other positions.
Catapang was
supposed to hold a press conference at 4 pm to apprise the media on the latest
developments. It was cancelled.
Zagala said
negotions are still ongoing. (READ: UN in 'backchannel' talks to end standoff)
WAR ROOM: Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, General Gregorio Catapang Jr and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario monitor developments in
Around the time the firefight had reportedly begun, Malacañang said that President Benigno S. Aquino III was closely watching the situation in the Golan Heights and that there are “contingency plans” should the situation escalate.
Asked if the government has contingency plans in case the situation in the Golan Heights worsens, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview on state-run Radyo ng Bayan, “We have contingency plans but we would leave it to the AFP to speak on the next possible next steps."
The peacekeepers in Golan Heights belong to the 80th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, a group of soldiers in their 20s holding ranks of Private First Class or Corporal led by Colonel Ezra Enriquez and Lieutenant Colonel Ted Dumusmog, contigent commander and commander of the Philippine Battalion, respectively.
Colonel Roberto Ancan, commander of the Philipine military's peacekeeping operations center based in
He said the
troops are in a "well fortified" position. They are also well-armed
and well-trained, equipped with M4 assault rifles, M60 light machineguns, K3
squad automatic weapons, and Cal. 45 pistols.
Prior to their
deployment to Golan in November 2013, the entire battalion went through the
Army's Battalion of Excellence (BOE) program. They were plucked out of their
operational area in Mindoro – where they fought communist insurgents – to
undergo months-long rigorous retraining in Fort Magsaysay
On Thursday,
August 28, Syrian rebels surrounded the encampments of a total of 75
Filipino peacekeepers in two UN posts located at the central part of Golan Heights . The rebels demanded that they surrender
their firearms but the Filipino troops stood their ground, refusing to meet the
fate of their fellow Fijian peacekeepers who were taken hostage after they
surrendered their firearms.
The incident
happens as the Philippines
is finalizing the pullout of Filipino peacekeepers in Golan
Heights . Their tour of duty ends in October and no fresh troops
will be deployed.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/67700-firefight-filipino-troops-syria
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.