Ingrid Betancourt "rescued"

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-07-02 03:57pm

BBC wrote:The Colombian authorities say they have rescued Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans held by rebels in Colombia.

Ms Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician, has been held for more than six years by the rebel Farc group and is said to be in very poor health.

She is the group's highest-profile hostage and the French government has made securing her release a priority.

The Farc group has been fighting to overthrow the Colombian government for more than 40 years.

The Colombian military said some 15 hostages had been rescued in total on Wednesday, among them 11 Colombian soldiers.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner travelled to Latin America earlier this year to build ties with regional leaders who have been influential in securing hostage releases from Farc in the past.

Ms Betancourt was kidnapped by rebels from the Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - in 2002.

She is believed to suffer from serious liver problems and was pictured looking frail in a recent video.

About damn time. Sitting in a jungle for six years as a bargaining chip for a crackpot terrorist group is not something I'd wish on my worst enemy.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-07-02 04:01pm

"Rescued" in quotes refers to the report being unconfirmed, not that I somehow oppose her rescue. Just to avoid confusion.

ShadowRider77 · Post by **ShadowRider77** » 2008-07-02 04:19pm

Definitely good news, something I had been hoping to hear for a good while.

CJvR · Post by **CJvR** » 2008-07-02 04:34pm

Good, lets hope they shot some FARCers in the process.

Hawkwings · Post by **Hawkwings** » 2008-07-02 10:56pm

Apparently the rescue went off without a single shot being fired. The Washington Post has more details.

Oddysseus · Post by **Oddysseus** » 2008-07-03 03:10am

Apparently they went in dressed like FARC, took the hostages, and gave them the good news as they flew off in the helicopters. The FARC looks to be so shakey now that they are afraid to communicate to ensure they don't loose their big bargaining chips.

Hopefully the defections, leadership losses, and bounties are having the affect that has long been needed.

Edward Yee · Post by **Edward Yee** » 2008-07-03 03:31am

This is all kinds of fuck yes.

Pelranius · Post by **Pelranius** » 2008-07-03 03:39am

Wonder if Venezuela gave any intel or something like that?

Rumor has it that Chavez has gotten tried of FARC's assorted antics.

Edward Yee · Post by **Edward Yee** » 2008-07-03 03:50am

I wouldn't be surprised if Chavez has decided to have it both ways (especially considering the fallout of Raul Reyes), even though backing such an operation would be a risky move for that strategy -- considering what a disaster this seems to be for FARC.

Great to see that international reaction has been near-universally positive, even if the Northrop Grumman contractors' freeing is far less in-the-news -- but no less of a good thing, as far as I'm concerned -- than Ingrid Betancourt's...

LaCroix · Post by **LaCroix** » 2008-07-03 04:20am

Whoever planned that raid, certainly has to carry his brass balls by wheelbarrow.

1. Get someone into the high ranks of FARC
2. Let this person give out fake orders to assemble all the hostages in one camp, as they were scattered around for security reason.
3. Give them orders to let them be transferred somewhere else by a helicopter you'll send to them.
4. Repaint a military helicopter fly in, let them give you the hostages and fly home with them.

I can picture the team which did this.

MadMurdock as the pilot,
BA cleaning his painting utensils,
Face making his way back home through the jungle after his infiltration job done,
and at the Base, Hannibal is smoking his cigar and proclaiming how he loves it when a plan comes together...

This whole thing is like straight out of a A-Team episode!

Edward Yee · Post by **Edward Yee** » 2008-07-03 05:45am

And just to make it ballsier, the excuse is that the leader of FARC has called for the hostages to be transferred to him... oh, and if that's not enough ballsy, convince the ringleader (who tormented Betancourt for years) and his comrade to give up their pistols once they're onboard, then springing the trap.

hongi · Post by **hongi** » 2008-07-03 07:19am

"The helicopter almost fell from the sky because we were jumping up and down, yelling, crying, hugging one another," Betancourt later said.

Hell yeah.

Siege · Post by **Siege** » 2008-07-03 07:54am

Edward Yee wrote:And just to make it ballsier, the excuse is that the leader of FARC has called for the hostages to be transferred to him... oh, and if that's not enough ballsy, convince the ringleader (who tormented Betancourt for years) and his comrade to give up their pistols once they're onboard, then springing the trap.

This story is fantastic. And very, very A-Team indeed...

The Spartan · Post by **The Spartan** » 2008-07-03 07:59am

This is the type of story that just begs for a movie. And not just a made-for-tv movie but a Hollywood blockbuster.

"Inspired by the true story..."

It's just a damn shame that they had to languish for so damn long.

Edward Yee · Post by **Edward Yee** » 2008-07-03 08:02pm

So that's what Plan Columbia was about...

By the way, Betancourt looks quite beautiful despite what's happened. Any word or footage of the Northrop Grumman contractors after touchdown in the U.S.??

Edward Yee · Post by **Edward Yee** » 2008-07-03 08:16pm

Ghetto edit: Nm, here's a photo of them.