Freed up military pressure 22 of the 23 employees of a subcontractor of Canadian oil company Talisman kidnapped on Monday in eastern Colombia by suspected guerrillas, who took as "human shields" to a hostage, the army said. Mass kidnappings like this one, attributed by the authorities at the front 16 of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), were not recorded in this country since January 2008 when the guerrillas retained 30 tourists in the department of Choco, which borders Panama.
The capture of 23 engineers and workers, all Colombian nationals, held in the town of Puerto Principe in Vichada department bordering Venezuela. Speaking to local radio stations, the governor of Vichada, Juan Carlos Avila, said a group of armed men broke into a camp where the workers performed seismic analysis and exploration work and abducted at 23.
One escaped after the catch and gave the first information to the authorities. He immediately activated the search, called 'Operation Minotaur', a device consisting of about 500 soldiers in the area and led by army commander, General Alejandro Navas. The "military pressure" led to the rescue of 21 hostages.
This was explained to the press Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera, who said that "the world they came over to the rebels" when they felt pressure over the troops. Rivera noted that the victims of this mass kidnapping are "humble workers" in the area, mostly indigenous, and that all are "in good health." "When they felt the troops over, to preserve life (the guerrillas) fled and took one of the hostages as human shields," he told the media the general Navas, referring to the only person who continues to hold, surveyor profession.
Military pressure on the Vichada "he continues, always thinking rescue remaining kidnapped alive," added the official. The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos said his government will not rest until the country is "free of kidnappings" and praised the military operation that freed up to 22 of the 23 workers trapped.
"We will not rest until we see all the hostages free and a free of kidnapping and insecurity," Santos said during a ceremony in Bogota. The president noted that when reporting "on time" facts "so sad" as the mass kidnapping "the authorities react and the chances of dating success rescues are very high." The practice of mass kidnappings was used mainly by the FARC during the nineties, and affected mainly the police and military.
In fact, the police and military who have been longer in the hands of the guerrillas, some captive for more than 12 years, were captured during these mass kidnappings. In 1998 there were three attacks by the FARC especially bloody: in Caqueta (south), killing of 65 soldiers killed and 43 kidnapped, in Guaviare (center), which killed 40 police and military were captured 56, and Vaupes (south), with a score of 16 members of the security forces dead and 61 taken captive.
Already in 2002, guerrillas of the FARC attacked the Departmental Assembly of Valle del Cauca, Cali (southwest), and abducted 12 lawmakers. Eleven were killed in June 2007 and the only survivor was freed by rebels in early 2009. 
The capture of 23 engineers and workers, all Colombian nationals, held in the town of Puerto Principe in Vichada department bordering Venezuela. Speaking to local radio stations, the governor of Vichada, Juan Carlos Avila, said a group of armed men broke into a camp where the workers performed seismic analysis and exploration work and abducted at 23.
One escaped after the catch and gave the first information to the authorities. He immediately activated the search, called 'Operation Minotaur', a device consisting of about 500 soldiers in the area and led by army commander, General Alejandro Navas. The "military pressure" led to the rescue of 21 hostages.
This was explained to the press Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera, who said that "the world they came over to the rebels" when they felt pressure over the troops. Rivera noted that the victims of this mass kidnapping are "humble workers" in the area, mostly indigenous, and that all are "in good health." "When they felt the troops over, to preserve life (the guerrillas) fled and took one of the hostages as human shields," he told the media the general Navas, referring to the only person who continues to hold, surveyor profession.
Military pressure on the Vichada "he continues, always thinking rescue remaining kidnapped alive," added the official. The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos said his government will not rest until the country is "free of kidnappings" and praised the military operation that freed up to 22 of the 23 workers trapped.
"We will not rest until we see all the hostages free and a free of kidnapping and insecurity," Santos said during a ceremony in Bogota. The president noted that when reporting "on time" facts "so sad" as the mass kidnapping "the authorities react and the chances of dating success rescues are very high." The practice of mass kidnappings was used mainly by the FARC during the nineties, and affected mainly the police and military.
In fact, the police and military who have been longer in the hands of the guerrillas, some captive for more than 12 years, were captured during these mass kidnappings. In 1998 there were three attacks by the FARC especially bloody: in Caqueta (south), killing of 65 soldiers killed and 43 kidnapped, in Guaviare (center), which killed 40 police and military were captured 56, and Vaupes (south), with a score of 16 members of the security forces dead and 61 taken captive.
Already in 2002, guerrillas of the FARC attacked the Departmental Assembly of Valle del Cauca, Cali (southwest), and abducted 12 lawmakers. Eleven were killed in June 2007 and the only survivor was freed by rebels in early 2009.
- Factbox: Key facts about Colombia's FARC rebels (08/03/2011)
- Colombian troops rescue 22 kidnapped oil workers (08/03/2011)
- Suspected Colombian rebels kidnap 23 local oil workers (08/03/2011)
- UPDATE 3-Suspected Colombian rebels kidnap 23 local oil workers (08/03/2011)
- Suspected Colombian rebels kidnap 23 local oil workers (08/03/2011)
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