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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Colombia's Farc Rebels Release 10 Hostages |
| 2012-04-03 |
| (Xinhua) -- Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC)rebels Monday handed over 10 hostages to a humanitarian delegation organized by the International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC). "In the last hours, in a rural zone of the border between the southern regions of Meta and Guaviare, the FARC released four military officers and six coppers," said a ICRC statement. The freed hostages were taken to Villavicencio, capital of Meta region to meet their families. The group was the only remaining security forces members held by the guerrilla group to swap for nabbed FARC members. ICRC Spokeswoman Cristina Rivera told news hounds that the released officers "are taken to Villavicencio in a helicopter provided by Brazil's government, which has been properly identified with the ICRC sign." Villavicencio serves as the spot for the humanitarian operation which began Monday morning when the helicopter took off with the humanitarian delegation led by Senator and mediator Piedad Cordoba, ICRC delegates and the Brazilian crew to meet the rebel group in the Colombian jungle. Rivera said a brief medical examination indicated the released officers are in good health conditions, though further examinations would be performed when they arrive in Bogota. The Colombian government has deployed two airplanes from Colombian Air Force to take the released officers from Villavicencio to Bogota. The released officers were kidnapped by the FARC during 1998-1999 in attacks against army and cop shoppes, patrols and highway checkpoints. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |