PHL troops’ Golan escape an ‘act of cowardice’ –UNDOF official
A ranking official in the United Nations peacekeeping force in Golan Heights has accused the Filipino troops who defied his order of being unprofessional for allegedly endangering the lives of the Fijian peacekeepers held captive by Syrian rebels.
“The non-professional [sic] actions of the Filipino troops have endangered the lives of the Fijian soldiers,” Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha said in a report on India Today.
He said the Filipino soldiers “defied orders at a time when we had negotiated a ceasefire with the rebels to ensure that all troops in the conflict area could exit.”
By doing so, the Filipinos “broke the chain of command and UN orders,” Singha said.
“It is an act of cowardice to desert posts especially when a delicate ceasefire was in place,” he added.
The Philippine military has called for an investigation on Singha for allegedly putting the lives of the Filipino peacekeepers at risk by ordering them to lay down their weapons at the height of the standoff with Syrian rebels last week.
The Filipinos defied the order and were able to escape eventually without casualties — an act lauded by the Philippine military brass.
Backed by UN
Singha said his order has the backing of the United Nations and the Indian Army. “The higher UN echelon as well as the Indian Army agrees with me that the decision was correct,” he said.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war, and the countries technically remain at war. Syrian troops are not allowed in an area of separation under a 1973 ceasefire formalized in 1974.
The peacekeepers — formally known as the UN Disengagement Observer Force or UNDOF — monitors the area of separation, a narrow strip of land running 70 km from Mount Hermon on the Lebanese border to the Yarmouk River frontier with Jordan.
The controversy following the standoff has prompted top Filipino peacekeeper Col. Ezra James Enriquez, the third ranking officer in UNDOF, to tender his resignation. His superiors, however, rejected it and instead put him under administrative leave until their tour of duty ends in October.
Despite the controversy, the Philippine military, which said it is standing by its story regarding the standoff, is considering holding a hero's welcome for the peacekeepers when they return to the country. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
“The non-professional [sic] actions of the Filipino troops have endangered the lives of the Fijian soldiers,” Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha said in a report on India Today.
He said the Filipino soldiers “defied orders at a time when we had negotiated a ceasefire with the rebels to ensure that all troops in the conflict area could exit.”
By doing so, the Filipinos “broke the chain of command and UN orders,” Singha said.
“It is an act of cowardice to desert posts especially when a delicate ceasefire was in place,” he added.
The Philippine military has called for an investigation on Singha for allegedly putting the lives of the Filipino peacekeepers at risk by ordering them to lay down their weapons at the height of the standoff with Syrian rebels last week.
The Filipinos defied the order and were able to escape eventually without casualties — an act lauded by the Philippine military brass.
Backed by UN
Singha said his order has the backing of the United Nations and the Indian Army. “The higher UN echelon as well as the Indian Army agrees with me that the decision was correct,” he said.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war, and the countries technically remain at war. Syrian troops are not allowed in an area of separation under a 1973 ceasefire formalized in 1974.
The peacekeepers — formally known as the UN Disengagement Observer Force or UNDOF — monitors the area of separation, a narrow strip of land running 70 km from Mount Hermon on the Lebanese border to the Yarmouk River frontier with Jordan.
The controversy following the standoff has prompted top Filipino peacekeeper Col. Ezra James Enriquez, the third ranking officer in UNDOF, to tender his resignation. His superiors, however, rejected it and instead put him under administrative leave until their tour of duty ends in October.
Despite the controversy, the Philippine military, which said it is standing by its story regarding the standoff, is considering holding a hero's welcome for the peacekeepers when they return to the country. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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