Austrian soldiers as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Syria are accused of allowing Syrian soldiers to die without informing them about the ambush they knew about, reports Tanjug.
It is about an event from September 2012, when Austrian peacekeepers noticed how smugglers were setting up an ambush in the mountains, about which they informed their command and made a video.
However, an hour after the ambush was noticed, according to a video published by the Viennese magazine "Falter", a vehicle with nine members of the Syrian secret service arrived at a checkpoint manned by Austrian peacekeepers and they let them through without warning.
On the video, one of them can be heard saying, when the vehicle passed, ""it would be normal for someone to tell those poor people about the ambush" and "if any of them survive they will come back and kill us".
In that video, you can see how Syrians are shot, and the soldiers record the events and the consequences of the ambush and say: "This was hell."
Then the soldiers discuss whether to send an ambulance, but note that no one survived and do not take any action.
The Viennese magazine "Falter" published this video, which, as it is stated, tarnishes the image of the Austrian peacekeepers who have been stationed on the Golan Heights for decades.
Defense Minister Mario Kunasek reacted immediately and formed an investigative commission.
"I want to know as quickly as possible what really happened in 2012," he said.
Austria, which has committed itself to permanent neutrality, is one of the most active countries in terms of the number of soldiers per population in UN and EU peacekeeping missions, but also under the command of NATO, as is the case in Kosovo, where more than 400 Austrian soldiers are stationed. peacekeepers in KFOR.
Bonus video:
