Fiji soldiers captured by Syrian rebels

Fiji's military commander says he and the United Nations still have no idea where 45 of his soldiers captured by Syrian rebels are being held.

A crisis centre has been set up in Fiji for the families of the UN peacekeepers captured in the Golan Heights, as negotiations continue to release the peacekeepers.

Jamie Tahana of Radio New Zealand reports.

Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga says the soldiers were captured near Quneitra during fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces on Thursday. He says negotiators have spoken with the captors, an al-Qaeda affiliated group called the al-Nusra front.

MOSESE TIKOITOGA: We can't confirm the location of our troops, where they are at the moment. We know that the al-Nusra group is responsible for holding them and they are the group that is now negotiating with the UN. We know that the UN is now taking the lead and are sending professional negotiators into Syria.

Mosese Tikotoga says the group is believed to be safe and in good health, and no demands or conditions have been made for the peacekeepers' release. In a statement released late on Sunday, al-Nusra published a photo showing the men in their uniforms, along with 45 identification cards.

After al-Nusra's statement was released, the UN and Fiji authorities admitted that 45 people were being held, having said for three days that it was 44. Al-Nusra says the troops were captured in retaliation for the UN's alleged ignorance of bloodshed of Muslims in Syria.

AL-NUSRA: In response to all of the crimes and complicity of the United Nations against the Sham [Syria] and his family, the Front has detained 45 of the Disengagement Observer Force of the United Nations; those forces that have been imposed on the people of the Levant since 1974 to ensure the security and protection of the borders of the Zionist entity [Israel] who, at the same time, completely ignored the blood of Muslims being shed daily on the other side of the border.

The United Nations' secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, who is in Samoa for the Small Island Developing States conference, has phoned Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama to say the UN is doing its utmost to obtain the unconditional and immediate release of the peacekeepers.

Australia's foreign minister has also offered her country's support and intelligence resources to Fiji. In Suva, the military has set up a crisis centre where Mosese Tikoitoga says relatives can go for information and support.

MOSESE TIKOITOGA: We've set up a crisis management centre where we can have all the access to support for the families. We're bringing in counsellors, we're bringing in all the resources of government, including a briefing area to continuously update the families and give them their peace of mind.

The troops were in Golan as part of a UN mission to monitor a 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria. Austria, Japan and Croatia have recently pulled their troops out of the Golan Heights due to the deteriorating security situation caused by spillover from the Syrian civil war. However, Mosese Tikoitoga says withdrawing over 400 Fijian troops from Golan is completely out of the question.

MOSESE TIKOITOGA: We fully understand the responsibilities that we have as a good global citizen and our responsibilities as peacekeepers. We went there to do a job - we fully understand the mandate of the UN - and we will continue to do that job, not only for ourselves but also for the betterment of the world.

In a fresh statement, Mosese Tikoitoga says the military has already started selecting soldiers to replace the captured men in the Golan Heights.

Meanwhile An al-Qaeda linked Syrian rebel group has this morning tweeted a picture of at least 38 of the 44 Fiji soldiers they are holding prisoner at an unknown location.

The soldiers, part of a United Nations border monitoring force, were captured without a fight, on Friday. Another UN group made up of 38 Filipino soldiers refused to surrender and are still fighting.

The unverified picture shows the unarmed soldiers apparently health.

Fiji Broadcasting reports that Military Forces Commander General Mosese Tikoitoga will update the country later today on the fate of the soldiers being held by the group Al Nusra Front.

Tikoitoga admitted yesterday they do not know where their men are now being held.

He would not release the soldiers' names, citing the sensitivity of talks with the Syrian rebels.

He said the UN was conducting talks with the captors.

"They confirmed that our men are safe and they are all well.

Tikoitoga said according to the leader of the Al- Nusra group, they had been moved to a location out of the range of any security forces (Syrian security forces).

"So their whereabouts at this stage, unfortunately, I cannot confirm and nor can the UNDOF (UN Disengagement Observer Force) team."

Amidst growing questions over why the Fijians so quickly surrendered, Tikoitoga said it was too early to judge what had happened.

"I think from the (Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF)) perspective this is the first time it has happened to us, we'll continue to look at our operating procedures, we will not shy away from our responsibility as international peacekeepers.

"We understand what the UN is trying to do in the region and we understand our role as good global citizens. I am very hopeful that we will get our soldiers back in time, judging from past experiences where all UN hostages have been returned in good health."

The capture of the Fijians comes as their country heads into general elections on September 17, the first elections since 2006 and a military coup.

On Friday the military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama appealed for the release of the soldiers.

"These men are peacekeepers, not combatants in the Syrian conflict, and there is no need for them to be detained," he said.

There are currently 1223 peacekeepers serving in UNDOF from the Philippines, Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands. UNDOF has been tasked with monitoring a cease-fire between Syria and Israel since 1974

Source: Radio New Zealand