15/09/2014 17:12
U.N. peacekeepers leaving Syrian-controlled Golan Heights
U.N. forces began withdrawing Monday from the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights, a U.N. source in Jerusalem confirmed after a CNN stringer saw dozens of peacekeeping vehicles crossing into territory controlled by Israel.
The forces are being withdrawn out of concern for their safety, the U.N. source said.
The withdrawal, also confirmed by a U.N. military police officer on the scene, comes a little more than two weeks after Islamic militant fighters took some peacekeepers hostage and besieged others.
Al-Nusra Front freed 45 U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji in good condition last week, while forces from the Philippines escaped after exchanging fire with militant fighters, according to media reports.