Monday 4 February 2013

Troops kill three Colombian rebels, hostages to be freed

Colombian troops shot dead three fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during operations on 3 February in the district of La Macarena in the south-central department Meta, while a fourth guerrilla, aged 15 years, was caught and handed over to child welfare authorities. The army stated that two other guerrillas surrendered or left the FARC that day, Europa Press reported, citing the Cali newspaper El Tiempo. A rifle, machine gun and mortar were confiscated. The FARC stated in a communiqué on 1 February that they held two policemen kidnapped on 25 January and a soldier kidnapped on 30 January during fighting in the department of Nariño, and intended to release them, the broadcaster Caracol reported on 2 February. The communiqué declared the servicemen to be in good condition and specified that Colombianos y Colombianas por la Paz, a political formation sympathetic to the FARC, must participate in the release, to be "accompanied" it added by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Colombianos is headed by the former senator Piedad Córdoba who has intermittently acted as a mediator between the FARC and the Colombian state. She said on 2 February that she was waiting for the government's permission before meeting with the Red Cross to begin the hostages' release, Caracol reported.

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