Philippines to continue UN peacekeeping deployments despite brief abduction of Filipino troops

Published January 13, 2015

Philippine military officials say their country remains committed to deploying troops in U.N. peacekeeping hotspots despite the brief hostage-taking of 21 Filipino soldiers, who were welcomed back to freedom in Jordan with a traditional military feast.

The unarmed Filipino peacekeepers were abducted on Wednesday in southern Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by one of the rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. After negotiations, they were freed on Saturday on Jordan's border and taken to a hotel in Amman.

Philippine military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos says the government's pledge to help in U.N. peacekeeping missions "is a global commitment" but added security will be improved for the troops' safety.

A Filipino army major was also briefly held in the Golan Heights last January by anti-Assad rebels.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/philippines-to-continue-un-peacekeeping-deployments-despite-brief-abduction-of-filipino-troops