Peacekeepers escape after 7-hour gun battle with rebels

Under cover of darkness, 40 Filipino peacekeepers escaped their besieged outpost in the Golan Heights after a seven-hour gun battle with Syrian rebels, Philippine officials have said.

However, 44 Fijian soldiers remain in the hands of the insurgents.

The getaway, combined with the departure of another trapped group of Filipino troops, marked a major step forward in a crisis that erupted on Thursday when Syrian rebels began targeting the peacekeeping forces.