The United Nations (U.N.) announced on Monday that they will be withdrawing the peacekeepers from Golan Heights over fears of another attack or a mass abduction as unidentified armed men from Syria were seen moving towards the Israeli-controlled area.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a statement saying the withdrawal of the peacekeepers came days after they discovered that an Al Qaeda-affiliated group Nusra Front released 45 Fijian soldiers whom they held captive for almost two weeks

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The Fijian peacekeepers are said to be members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Although the Nusra Front group already dropped their demands for a prisoner exchange and released the soldiers unscathed, the abduction still reflect the increasing danger international organizations in the affected regions are subjected to.

While the soldiers were held captive, two bases occupied by UN peacekeepers were attacked by Syrian militants.

Secretary General Ki-Moon noted that the situation of UNDOF in the Syrian side has deteriorated for the past several days. This statement, which was posted on the United Nations website, explained further about the situation in the area.

Ki-Moon noted that armed groups pose a direct threat to the safety and security of UNDOF forces in the stations at the Bravo line in Syria. There were no other details about the peacekeepers who were withdrawn from the area but they are now reportedly stationed in the Alpha line near Golan.

UNDOF still continues to use their assets to accomplish their delegated tasks despite the exceptionally challenging environment they are put in, Secretary General Ki-Moon added. However, questions arose about how the peacekeepers will patrol in their assigned regions if they are no longer in the area.

UNDOF is now composed of 1,250 soldiers including soldiers contributed by Fiji, India, Nepal, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Ireland.

The area in Golan was said to be peaceful since 1974 as peacekeepers patrolled the region. However, when fighting broke out in 2011, the area was no longer nonviolent and threats continue to increase.

TagsU.N, Golan, peacekeepers, safety concerns, Nusra Front