Filipino peacekeeper wounded in fighting between Syrian and rebel forces in Golan Heights

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino peacekeeper in the Golan Heights was wounded Thursday during fighting between Syrian government and rebel forces, a Philippine military spokesman said.

The soldier suffered a leg injury from an artillery or mortar shell that landed at Camp Ziouni, a logistics base for the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force, said Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala.

The soldier, one of the more than 300 Filipino peacekeepers, was in stable condition, Zagala said.

It was unclear whether the shell came from the government or rebel side.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of peacekeepers in the Syrian conflict.

In March, 21 Filipino peacekeepers were taken captive by a rebel group which released them unharmed after four days. The same group, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, seized four more Filipino soldiers last month and released them five days later.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario recommended the pullout of all Filipino peacekeepers from the Golan Heights after the latest abduction. President Benigno Aquino III has not yet approved the recommendation.