Al-Nusra Front reveals reason for detaining UN peacekeepers
The Syrian branch of Al Qaeda has acknowledged that it captured 45 United Nations peacekeepers in southern Syria, saying they were being held in retaliation for what the group called the United Nations’ failure to help the people of Syria during the country’s civil war.The group, the Nusra Front, also accused the peacekeeping force, which has monitored the demarcation line between Syria and the Israeli‑occupied Golan Heights since 1974, of protecting Israeli‑controlled territory while doing nothing to stop the killing on the Syrian side.
The statement, released over the weekend, contained a group photo of the captured peacekeepers from Fiji, as well as a photograph of their identification cards.
The statement said they were being treated well and were given food and medical care, but it issued no demands for their release.
Although the Nusra Front said it was holding 45 peacekeepers, the United Nations had said 44 are being held, a discrepancy that could not immediately be explained. The statement was the first confirmation from the Nusra Front, one of the many groups fighting the forces of President Bashar al‑Assad in Syria’s civil war, that it was holding the peacekeepers.
They were captured on Friday, one day after rebels seized a crossing point on the demarcation line from Syrian forces.
Other rebels in the area had condemned the Nusra Front for capturing the peacekeepers and called for their release.
In its statement, the Nusra Front accused the United Nations of failing to help Syrians during the civil war, which has killed more than 190,000 people over more than three years.
The peacekeeping force in question, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, is responsible only for monitoring the frontier between Israeli ‑ and Syrian‑controlled zones and has no mandate to intervene in Syria’s civil war.
Source: New York Times
AND COMMENTS FROM FIJI LEAKS
Bainimarama's men
31/08/2014 4:39am
Al-Nusra does have a point to make. The UNDOF appears not neutral but a subserviant to Israel for Israelis' protection to purported peace keeping for their protection and not for those muslims who died and were abused by those Israelis according to Al-Nusra.
So Fijian soldiers are part of that combat and therefore capture what appears to be a point to make to show they are capable of capturing and then releasing the captives, thus are not as nasty as those that the Fijians are there to protect.
Pray that they will not treat the Fijians as the enemy and no concession must go to Bainimarama if they are released unharmed.
Consider that Chinese are taking over their land, their resources so one day they may be protecting their own boarder for peace with China when they can't pay back Bainimarama's debts and surrender to China like a cat and not like a tiger as Moses Tikoitonga put it correctly!
But for now we shall pray for our men who are there desperate for making a quick dollar but families are destroted.
So Fijian soldiers are part of that combat and therefore capture what appears to be a point to make to show they are capable of capturing and then releasing the captives, thus are not as nasty as those that the Fijians are there to protect.
Pray that they will not treat the Fijians as the enemy and no concession must go to Bainimarama if they are released unharmed.
Consider that Chinese are taking over their land, their resources so one day they may be protecting their own boarder for peace with China when they can't pay back Bainimarama's debts and surrender to China like a cat and not like a tiger as Moses Tikoitonga put it correctly!
But for now we shall pray for our men who are there desperate for making a quick dollar but families are destroted.
gone with the wind
31/08/2014 6:02am
So... its a kilavata family in the military top tier. Sa rauta..
And a stupid comment, yet again, from Tikoitoga:
"Be a Cat AND Fight another day".
There will be no other day.
Moce Jo.
And a stupid comment, yet again, from Tikoitoga:
"Be a Cat AND Fight another day".
There will be no other day.
Moce Jo.
Fiji First Party (Original)
31/08/2014 11:23am
To our Soldiers – You are in our hearts and in our thoughts. We feel for your families and we pray for your safe and quick return to your loved ones. How unfortunate of you to have been caught-up in this dreadful situation of a WAR not of your making or concern.
We are hoping that our Government leaves not a single stone unturned in its diplomatic and other efforts in securing your quickest possible release and return home. In the meantime, we pray that you be Brave, Professional and Safe.
We are hoping that our Government leaves not a single stone unturned in its diplomatic and other efforts in securing your quickest possible release and return home. In the meantime, we pray that you be Brave, Professional and Safe.
31/08/2014 2:13pm
the foot soldiers of the Fiji Military have been used as military fodder by the top dogs in the Fiji Military both at home to carry out coups and bully the civilian population and abroad to serve the agenda of the UN - who then turn a blind eye to the abuses and repression and the curtailment of democratic rights and freedoms of the Fijian people .
The Fijian soldiers are mere pawns in other players political game.
The Fijian soldiers are mere pawns in other players political game.
dredd
31/08/2014 3:45pm
The military bosses of whom bai was once the head did a reckless gamble and it blew in their faces with this fiasco. Money was the prime objective of this decision to send our soldiers to a danger zone which other countries have abandoned due to the risk it posed. Now the same military stooges are taken aback as it backfired with this event. So instead of reviewing its decision the army is considering sending another 44 pawn soldiers to face the same danger as their colleagues did. The thought of losing the UN money is overriding all other concerns that they are becoming irrational.
31/08/2014 2:37pm
slaughtering innocent people is an evil thing to do no matter who is doing it - the Israeli State, the Islamic State, the United States, the Russian State, the Chinese State, the African States, the Latin American States, the Indian State, the Fijian State, the Capitalist State, the Communist State, the Totalitarian State, the Fascist State, the Nazi State .
Good men and women everywhere must stand up against such evil doing wherever it is happening
Good men and women everywhere must stand up against such evil doing wherever it is happening
4 comments:
Some blogs about Fiji are crude and rude and name-calling but one poster wrote something sensible as follows in one of these blogs: Anonymous said...
In these moments of crisis where we have 45 sons of Fiji captured under durress, we need to be sensitive to the children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and grandparents of our brave soldiers who voluntarily went on the Golan heights. Many comments on this blog is made out of anger and vindictiveness and it does not help the situation of the families whose loved ones have been captured. Wether any one of these 45 soldiers make it back home is something every citizen of Fiji should be concerned about. We as a nation have lost the moral values of humanity if we continue to utter such despicable blogs in venting our fury at frank and khaiyum. We have all been raised with strong christian values and these values combined with our family values, customary and traditional values should teach us to be humble. Vindictiveness and anger will only stir the emotions and breed chaos. Is this the society we as fijians want to teach our future generations. God has a lesson to teach everyone in what has happened. It is perhaps a larger plan for what he is preparing and these 45 men are a part of gods plan. There is no such thing as fate. These events are happening at a moment and time when Fiji is about to enter into elections and gods timing is always impeccable. Some see this as revenge for the Fiji military abuse of its own people but some see this as a moment which should touch the very hearts of our people. There is no such thing as bravery in war but there is bravery in gods humility and resolve maintaining gods love and forgiveness. Whatsoever men sows he will reap but god will be the decider and not men. We should take a moment of silence from our anger and vindictiveness to pray for these 45 brave sons of Fiji. Please refrain from hatred and vile words and instead pray for these men and pray for Fiji to be lifted above all these moments of difficulties and particularly pray for the patents of these brave sons and the children of these brave sons that they will find comfort in these difficult moments.....may god bless you all and bring our sons home safe..
September 1, 2014 at 11:53 PM
Agree wholeheartedly with Babasiga. One of the dark aspects of modernity's tools which in this case is social media is how it unleashes the vile beasts within our breasts,so that we put in print things we would not dare say face in face. Sad.
All the best to the 45. Stay patient lads.I will pray for Al-Nusra to release you.
- God is not always correct
And now with news drifting in that the missing 45 will soon be released, the prayers of the many will be answered in the way they wanted. Good news.
- God is not always correct
When I read that I thought - what excellent news - but a few hours later the words from Tikoitoga were retracted as the UN people then said negotiations are still going on. It was apparently wishful thinking and not true news. The Fiji govt then tried to pull out all the earlier stories, but of course it had gone here, there, everywhere by then.
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