Syrian rebels free UN soldiers

Syrian rebel group al-Nusra Front has released 44 UN soldiers who had been captured at their post last month, media reported Thursday.

The soldiers are all Fijian who worked as UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, Al Jazeera reported.

On Wednesday, the group posted a video on its Twitter and YouTube accounts in which the hostages said they expected to be freed soon.

The Fijian peacekeepers were captured at their post in August, about eight km away from 70 Filipino troops, who were rescued following an attack on their post on the Syrian side of the border.

Peacekeepers serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) monitor the 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war. As of July 31, there are 1,223 peacekeepers from six countries -- Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands and the Philippines -- serving in the force.

Austria, Japan and Croatia have all pulled their troops out of the monitoring force due to the deteriorating security situation and spillover from the Syrian war.

The al-Nusra Front is an Al Qaeda offshoot operating in Syria and Lebanon. The group announced its existence during the Syrian civil war in 2011.