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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Colombian Army Rescues 244 Hostages from FARC

A total of 244 travelers kidnapped on Sunday by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were rescued the same day by the army, the local daily El Tiempo reported on Monday.


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A total of 244 travelers kidnapped on Sunday by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were rescued the same day by the army, the local daily El Tiempo reported on Monday.

Army troops and police agents backed by the Colombian Air Forcesuccessfully liberated the hostages a few hours after they were kidnapped on Sunday afternoon.

The hostages were taken on a road 70 kilometers northeast of Bogota while traveling over a three-day weekend. According to witnesses, the hostage takers, dressed in fatigues and carrying automatic weapons, stopped 32 vehicles and stole jewelry and cash from the occupants. Later on, the hostages were taken to a mountainous area in the central state of Cundinamarca.

Two women injured when the rebels fired at the government troops during the rescue mission were rushed to Gacheto Hospital for treatment.

Colombia, torn by a 38-year civil war, suffered about 3,700 kidnappings last year, most of them by the leftist rebels trying to extort money to fund their uprising.

The FARC, the largest rebel group in Colombia, has some 17,000 in its ranks. It frequently sets up roadblocks on isolated roads to snare unwary travelers.

The FARC has increased its attacks since President Alvaro Uribetook office on August 7.


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