Qaida-linked Syria Rebels Release Fijian U.N. Peacekeepers

Al-Qaida linked rebels in Syria on Thursday released a group of 45 Fijian U.N. peacekeepers they kidnapped two weeks ago in the Golan Heights, a U.N. spokesman said.

The peacekeepers, snatched from Quneitra on the Syrian side of the strategic plateau on August 28 by fighters from the al-Nusra Front, were released unharmed and in "good condition," the spokesman said.

They were part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which monitors a 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.

"Today at 2:30 pm local time, the 45 Fijian peacekeepers who had been detained were handed to UNDOF," the spokesperson said.

"All the 45 peacekeepers are in good condition," he added, saying they would undergo medical checkups.

Shortly afterwards, they crossed from Syrian territory into the Israeli-controlled sector, an Israeli army spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse.

"We opened the gate for them; they are in Israel," she said.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said they were being taken in U.N. vehicles to a U.N. base in Israel. 

But shortly afterwards, they returned to Syrian territory through a different crossing point, a military spokeswoman told AFP, without explaining why.

A U.N. spokesman said the peacekeepers crossed back into Syria "and are currently at Camp Faouar undergoing medical attention. We understand that they are in good condition." 

The spokesman said the abductors had made no demands to secure the release of the 45, "and there were no concessions."

The Fijians had been captured by fighters from the al-Nusra Front after they seized control of the Quneitra crossing following a battle with troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad. 

They keepers were forced to surrender their weapons and taken hostage. 

A second group of peacekeepers -- 81 Filipinos -- was surrounded by the rebels, but held their ground, refused to lay down their weapons and later managed to escape. 

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the release of the peacekeepers, with a spokesman saying he appreciated "the efforts of all concerned to secure their safe release."

Quneitra is the only formal crossing point between the Syrian and the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights. 

The capture of the peacekeepers triggered a sharp condemnation from the U.N. Security Council, which demanded their "unconditional and immediate release."

UNDOF has played a key role in monitoring the peace between Damascus and Israel over the past four decades.

Israel, technically still at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. It later annexed the territory in a move never recognized by the international community.

Six countries contribute troops to the 1,200-strong U.N. force on the Golan, including Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, The Netherlands and The Philippines.

U.N. peacekeepers on the Golan Heights were detained twice last year, but all of them were eventually released safely. 

Some 21 Filipino peacekeepers were abducted by Syrian rebels for five days in March 2013. Another four were captured by the same group in May, raising fears over the growing number of incidents targeting U.N. forces on the plateau. 

In a video released late Wednesday, al-Nusra said it was going to free the Fijians, dropping earlier demands for the delivery of aid to areas besieged by the Syrian government, a prisoner release and the group's removal from a U.N. terror blacklist.

The video also featured an unidentified Fijian peacekeeper who confirmed the group had pledged to free the soldiers.

"We have been informed that we will be released soon and we are all very happy to be going home," he said.

The peacekeeper thanked al-Nusra "for keeping us safe and keeping us alive."

"I would like to assure you that we have not been harmed in any way," he said.