Colombian Defense Minister Martha Ramirez announced that the Colombian army has received information on the possible location of seven kidnapped tourists, among them four Israelis, who are being held hostage by the ELN, a guerilla organization. The Minister added that unfortunately, because the hostages are surrounded, and because of the questionable credibility of the intelligence, the Colombian army will not launch a rescue effort or an attack, “so as not endanger the hostages.”
In an interview granted to Columbian newspapers, and published in the widely circulated “El Pais,” Minister Ramirez said, “We know the whereabouts of the three kidnapped Americans, but we will not launch a rescue operation so as not to endanger them. We will also not launch an air strike or a missile attack. We are taking all precautions in order to prevent greater danger to the lives of the hostages.”
The three Americans she referred to were kidnapped when their reconnaissance plane went down in February of this year. They were on a counter-narcotics mission taking pictures of dangerous drug producers for the Federal police. The fourth kidnapped American was executed. The three are being held by the FARC guerrilla organization.
When asked about the seven hostages, of which the four Israelis are a part, the Minister answered: “The two situations are very similar.”
The Minister added that the government and army were taking steps to surround and pressure the kidnappers, so they will understand that they cannot hold on to the hostages forever. “We are not launching a crack rescue operation because we are quite certain that large numbers of guerrillas are located among the hostages. We will continue to apply military pressure in the Sierra, Nevada region, and I hope that the ELN will make the decision sooner or later to free the hostages,” she said.
In the past year, the Columbian army succeeded in freeing 758 hostages through military operations. The Columbian government reports that it has arrested close to 10,000 members of the ELN and FARC.
1,628 guerrilla fighters were reportedly killed in combat with the Columbian army, 1,280 of them members of FARC and 322 from the ELN – the remainder being from smaller splinter groups. Several hundred have turned themselves in to the army and the Columbian police.
Over the weekend, the Columbian army arrested 33 members of the ELN, including one of the leaders of the organization in Northern Columbia. It is not clear if one of those arrested passed on the intelligence information to the army regarding the location of the hostages.
In an interview granted to Columbian newspapers, and published in the widely circulated “El Pais,” Minister Ramirez said, “We know the whereabouts of the three kidnapped Americans, but we will not launch a rescue operation so as not to endanger them. We will also not launch an air strike or a missile attack. We are taking all precautions in order to prevent greater danger to the lives of the hostages.”
The three Americans she referred to were kidnapped when their reconnaissance plane went down in February of this year. They were on a counter-narcotics mission taking pictures of dangerous drug producers for the Federal police. The fourth kidnapped American was executed. The three are being held by the FARC guerrilla organization.
When asked about the seven hostages, of which the four Israelis are a part, the Minister answered: “The two situations are very similar.”
The Minister added that the government and army were taking steps to surround and pressure the kidnappers, so they will understand that they cannot hold on to the hostages forever. “We are not launching a crack rescue operation because we are quite certain that large numbers of guerrillas are located among the hostages. We will continue to apply military pressure in the Sierra, Nevada region, and I hope that the ELN will make the decision sooner or later to free the hostages,” she said.
In the past year, the Columbian army succeeded in freeing 758 hostages through military operations. The Columbian government reports that it has arrested close to 10,000 members of the ELN and FARC.
1,628 guerrilla fighters were reportedly killed in combat with the Columbian army, 1,280 of them members of FARC and 322 from the ELN – the remainder being from smaller splinter groups. Several hundred have turned themselves in to the army and the Columbian police.
Over the weekend, the Columbian army arrested 33 members of the ELN, including one of the leaders of the organization in Northern Columbia. It is not clear if one of those arrested passed on the intelligence information to the army regarding the location of the hostages.