UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. peacekeeping chief strongly denied on Wednesday allegations from the Philippines' army chief that Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights were ordered to surrender their weapons to Islamist militants who had trapped them.
Filipino army chief General Gregorio Catapang said his soldiers had defended themselves against Islamist rebels last weekend in defiance of an order from their U.N. force commander to surrender their weapons, a move that would be highly controversial in the six-nation, blue-helmeted force.