The kidnappings take place just days after the Philippines government said it would be recalling its 331-strong peacekeeping force because of concerns over their safety. Last September, 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers were kidnapped by Syrian rebels, but were released a week later.
Al-Nusra is an offshoot of al-Qaeda, but is considered one of the less bloodthirsty Islamic militant groups fighting under the Syrian rebel banner. It opposes the brutality of groups like the Islamic State, which beheaded James Foley, the kidnapped American journalist.
Reports of the kidnapping of the peacekeepers emerged as Islamic State fighters claimed to have executed dozens of members of the Syrian army they captured after seizing an air base in the northeast of the country, a group monitoring the violence said on Thursday.
The Islamic State stormed Tabqa air base on Sunday after days of clashes with the army. A video posted online by Islamic State supporters on Thursday appeared to show members of the group making scores of Syrian army captives walk and run through the desert in their underwear. It showed at least 135 men, some with their hands on their heads, making their way barefoot through a desert landscape as armed men jeered them.
It was not clear what happened to the men afterwards, but photos posted by Islamic State supporters online on Wednesday appeared to show them gunning down at least seven members of the army.
The Golan Heights has been the scene of heavy fighting between al-Nusra and Syrian government forces in recent days, with government airstrikes reported around the border area in Syria's Quneitra province. White plumes of smoke set off by exploding mortar rounds could be seen on Thursday from the Israeli side of the Golan, and the sound of small arms fire could be heard echoing in the background.
An array of Syrian rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, captured a frontier crossing on Wednesday. A rebel spokesman said the opposition was focused on fighting President Bashar Assad, and poses no threat to Israel.
During the fighting on Wednesday, two Israelis were wounded by stray bullets and a mortar. Israel responded with artillery fire at two Syrian army positions, the Israeli military said.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1zL67r5
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