Austria to Pull UN Peacekeepers From Golan After Clashes

Austria is pulling its United Nations peacekeeping troops from the Golan Heights, saying that the risk to its soldiers had become “unacceptable” after clashes in the area between Syrian government forces and rebels.

Austria, the biggest provider of troops to the UN mission that’s been enforcing a buffer zone between Syria and Israel since 1974, will withdraw its soldiers over the next two to four weeks, Defense Minister Gerald Klug told reporters today in Vienna. Various rebel groups were operating in the demilitarized zone in recent weeks and Syria’s government was no longer able to ensure peacekeepers safety, he said.