Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha, the Indian commander of the United Nations’ (UN) Peacekeeping Force broke his silence on the Philippine Peacekeepers (Military) accusations that he misguidedly ordered besieged Filipino troops to surrender their arms to the Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights over the weekend.
Watch the Video Report of the Indian Commander Calling the Filipinos “Coward”
The Indian commander stated in an interview with India Times that the Filipino Peacekeepers defiance of his order was “non-professional.” The UNDOF commander also added that the Filipinos’ resistance with the Syrian rebels have endangered the lives of the Fijian soldiers who were held hostage by the Al-Qaida-linked Syrian rebels.
The statement of the Indian commander also coincided with the UN’s denial that the order was issued by Gen. Singha, to let the Filipino soldiers lay down their arms. The Philippine commanders on the other hand praised the Filipino soldiers gesture in the standoff against Syrian rebels as they dubbed the situation as the “greatest escape” of the 40 troops from Position 68.
Meanwhile according to the Indian commander, the Filipino troops broke the chain of command and overstepped the UN leadership’s authority when their safety and the release of the hostages were still being negotiated for.
