Fighting between Islamist rebel factions and troops loyal to Syria’s Assad regime continued on the Golan Heights Monday and into Tuesday morning, with battles taking place very close to the Israeli border. UN peacekeepers assigned to the area to monitor the armistice which ended fighting between Israel and Syria at the conclusion of the 1973 Yom Kippur War have been caught in the middle, with 44 Fijian soldiers taken hostage and 72 others from the Philippines escaping only after intense fighting with the Islamists. Details of their ordeal emerged on Tuesday, including a refusal by the Filipino contingent to follow an order from their headquarters to surrender and follow their Fijian comrades into captivity. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Mosese Tikoitoga, commander of the Fijian military, announced on Tuesday he has received a list of demands from the Al-Qaida linked Al-Nusra Front for the release of his soldiers. Read More
