DHAKA: An armed group detained 43 UN peacekeepers during fighting in Syria early Thursday and another 81 peacekeepers are trapped, the United Nations said.

The United Nations confirmed that an armed group captured 43 UN peacekeepers on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights on Thursday, saying it was doing everything to secure their release.

The peacekeepers were detained on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights during a "period of increased fighting between armed elements and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces," the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

It said another 81 peacekeepers are "currently being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah."

The statement did not specify which armed group is holding the peacekeepers.

Source: gulfnews.com

BDST: 1815 HRS, AUG 29, 2015