U.N. peacemakers from Fiji freed in Syria

BEIRUT – Al-Qaida-linked militants released 45 Fijian peacekeepers captured two weeks ago in Syria, ending the U.N.’s fourth crisis over abducted soldiers in the Golan Heights since March 2013.

The Fijians were captured on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights by fighters from the Nusra Front, who have been battling Syrian government forces in the contested buffer zone between Syria and Israel. The 1,200-strong U.N. force that has patrolled the zone since 1974 has increasingly been caught in the spillover from Syria’s civil war.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “no demands were made and no concessions were made” to secure the release of the peacekeepers.

“No ransom was paid,” he said.

Qatar, a chief backer of rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, said it played a role in the release. The official Qatar News Agency reported that the tiny Arab Gulf emirate had “succeeded in the release of the Fijian soldiers” in response to a request from Fiji for its mediation.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked the efforts “of all concerned” in the release, without naming anyone. He demanded that all parties respect the mandate of the U.N. force and the right of peacekeepers to move freely and safely, according to a statement from his office.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama called the peacekeepers heroes who kept their cool under the “most extreme circumstances imaginable.” Speaking in Suva early Friday, he said his troops’ discipline ensured that no militants were killed and no U.N. soldiers harmed.

The Fijian troops were captured Aug. 28, a day after militants seized control of the Syrian side of the Quneitra crossing from President Bashar Assad’s troops. Two groups of Filipino peacekeepers also were trapped at separate U.N. encampments that day, surrounded by rebel fighters who demanded they surrender. They refused, and both groups eventually escaped – one busting out with the help of Irish colleagues, and the other by slipping away under the cover of darkness.