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The United Nations said Thursday that all its 45 peacekeepers from Fiji, seized by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights two weeks ago, have been released and "are in good condition."
The 45 peacekeepers were released Thursday afternoon and handed to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) at a UN position in the Golan Heights, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a emailed note to reporters here.
"All the 45 peacekeepers are in good condition and will proceed back to Camp Foar for medical assessment," he said.
The Fijian peacekeepers were captured by fighters from the Nusra Front,Syria's branch of the al-Qaeda, in the Golan Heights on Aug. 28.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council both have condemned the capture of UN peacekeepers and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The Nusra Front described the action as retaliation for what it called the failure of the United Nations to help the people of Syria in that country's civil war, which has lasted three and a half years and left more than 190,000 people dead.
The Nusra Front confirmed it held the peacekeepers by releasing a statement, two days after the Fijians disappeared, that included a photo of them as a group as well as their identification cards.
The statement said they were being treated well and given food and medical care, but it did not specify any conditions for their release.
The Fijian troops are part of UNDOF, a 1,223-member peacekeeping operation that has monitored the demarcation line between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974.
India, Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands and the Philippines have also contributed troops to the operation.
Twenty-five Filipino peacekeepers serving in UNDOF were detained by armed elements in March and May of 2013. They were released safely shortly afterward.
In June, the UN Security Council extended UNDOF's mandate for another six months, until Dec. 31, 2014.
