Pinoy UNDOF official quits after Golan standoff
A Filipino official of the peacekeeping forces in Golan Heights has tendered his resignation following disagreement with his superiors regarding the handling of last week's standoff with Syrian rebels.
In a text message to GMA News Online, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said Col. Ezra James Enriquez, chief of staff of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), has “offered to resign” due to “differences over the handling of the Golan crisis.”
Zagala said: “He defied the laying down of firearms and waving the white flag.”
However, he said he has no information on whether or not Enriquez' resignation was accepted.
On Monday, the AFP said it is seeking an investigation against UNDOF commander Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha, an Indian national, for allegedly endangering the safety of the Filipino peacekeeperswhen he ordered them to surrender their firearms to the Syrian rebels.
AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said Singha ordered the Filipino peacekeepers to lay down their firearms to ensure the safety of the Fijian peacekeepers held captive by Syrian rebels. He said the Filipino troops were also ordered to “raise the white flag.”
“Under the Terms of Reference, it wasn’t mentioned there that we can be ordered to surrender our firearms," Catapang said. "The UNDOF commander wanted to save the Fijians at the expense of the Filipinos.”
The Fijian peacekeepers — at least 44 of them — had been seized by Syrian rebels who overran their position last week.
Their 75 Filipino counterparts, who were manning Position 68 and 69, meanwhile figured in a standoff that ended over the weekend after the soldiers escaped following a seven-hour firefight with the rebels. —Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News
In a text message to GMA News Online, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said Col. Ezra James Enriquez, chief of staff of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), has “offered to resign” due to “differences over the handling of the Golan crisis.”
Zagala said: “He defied the laying down of firearms and waving the white flag.”
However, he said he has no information on whether or not Enriquez' resignation was accepted.
On Monday, the AFP said it is seeking an investigation against UNDOF commander Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha, an Indian national, for allegedly endangering the safety of the Filipino peacekeeperswhen he ordered them to surrender their firearms to the Syrian rebels.
AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said Singha ordered the Filipino peacekeepers to lay down their firearms to ensure the safety of the Fijian peacekeepers held captive by Syrian rebels. He said the Filipino troops were also ordered to “raise the white flag.”
“Under the Terms of Reference, it wasn’t mentioned there that we can be ordered to surrender our firearms," Catapang said. "The UNDOF commander wanted to save the Fijians at the expense of the Filipinos.”
The Fijian peacekeepers — at least 44 of them — had been seized by Syrian rebels who overran their position last week.
Their 75 Filipino counterparts, who were manning Position 68 and 69, meanwhile figured in a standoff that ended over the weekend after the soldiers escaped following a seven-hour firefight with the rebels. —Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News
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