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UN denies ordering Phl soldiers to surrender arms UNITED NATIONS – The UN peacekeeping chief strongly denied on Wednesday allegations from the Philippines’ armed forces chief that Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights were ordered to surrender their weapons to Islamist militants who had trapped them. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang said his soldiers defended themselves against Islamist rebels last weekend in defiance of an order from their UN force commander to surrender their weapons, a move that would be highly controversial in the six-nation, blue-helmeted force. The UN’s undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, denied that any such order was given .....Asked what order was given to the Filipinos, Ladsous replied, “Never to hand over weapons.” The order was simply “not to shoot,” he said. One UN official told Reuters that no force commander would order his troops to hand over weapons to rebels. If that were to happen, the official said, the commander would “be out of a job” since countries that supply weapons and material to the force would be reluctant to re-supply the mission. ....Several Security Council diplomats said the issue of what orders might have been given was discussed on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting of the 15-nation body. In that meeting, Ladsous expressed full support for Singha, diplomats who were present told Reuters. Ladsous later told reporters that Singha had “exercised good sound judgment all along” during the crisis http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/09/05/1365566/un-denies-ordering-phl-soldiers-surrender-arms

UN denies ordering Phl soldiers to surrender arms

Distinction without a difference. Al Qaeda was moving to surround the force. Once surrounded, they could hand over their weapons (i.e. surrender) or fight and be massacred. Your loyalty to your compatriot is understandable, but not exactly disinterested. I wonder what your response would have been if a Filipino general had given the order to an Indian unit.