Manila, Shawwal 27, 1435, August 23, 2014, SPA -- The Philippines will pull out more than 400 troops from UN peacekeeping missions in the Golan Heights and Liberia over concerns for their safety, dpa quoted the defence department as saying Saturday. The 115-member contingent in Liberia will be "repatriated as soon as possible" amid increasing health risk from the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa, the department said. More than 300 soldiers and police officers with the UN Disengagement Force in the Golan Heights will return home at the end of their tour of duty in October, it said. "Amidst the volatile security environment in the Middle East and North African region, the Philippines prioritizes the safety and security of its troops," the department statement said. The returning contingents will not be replaced, department spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said. Manila demanded better security for its troops in UN peacekeeping missions last year, after 25 of them were captured by Syrian rebels in separate incidents. They were later released unharmed. -- SPA 15:43 LOCAL TIME 12:43 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w