Colombia military used journalist ruse to free hostages (1st Lead)

Americas News

Jul 4, 2008, 21:13 GMT

Bogota/Washington - The daring rescue of 15 hostages from leftist rebels in Colombia used a fake team of Colombian commandos posing as journalists to ease the way into the FARC camp in the jungle. The dramatic details emerged as Colombian defence officials Friday shared for the first time with journalists film footage shot during the entire rescue mission on Wednesday. The images showed the sullen response of a handcuffed Ingrid Betancourt, the highest profile hostage and a one-time presidential candidate, as she pauses before boarding a helicopter she feared was taking her to yet another uncertain prison in her six and a half years in captivity. They showed a defiant Colombian security officer, named Malagon, who holds up his handcuffed hands to the camera and insists on being interviewed by the fake reporter-and-cameraman team before he boards the aircraft. The film also shows the looks of incredulity, tears and then laughter onboard the aircraft among the prisoners as the helicopter lifted off and they learned the truth of the mission. Colombian defence officials described how six unarmed commandos - including the camera team and pilots - landed in the FARC rebel camp, surrounded by a cocaine field, in a military helicopter that had been painted white to look like a civilian craft. The journalist team pretended to be accompanying military commandos posing as fellow rebels who were to transport the 15 hostages to another camp. The footage shows the landing area surrounded by heavily armed rebels, standing in a wide circle around the helicopter. Speaking at the press conference in Bogota that was aired live in the United States on CNN, Colombian Defence Minister Manuel Santos rebutted questions about the direct involvement of foreign security forces, including those of Israel and the US. He also refuted European reports that the government paid 20 million dollars for the release of Betancourt, three American security contractors held for five years and 11 Colombian security officials, some of them held for more than 10 years. 'Twenty million dollars would have been cheap, because we had already offered 100 million dollars and (FARC rebels) refused,' Santos said. Santos revealed that US President George W Bush was informed at least a week beforehand about the operation, as had been agreed with Colombian President Alvero Uribe in the case of any rescue mission where American hostages were involved. The US did however play a support role in the operation, by helping the Colombian military place two transponders in the rescue aircraft 'so we could transmit some kind of SOS or panic signal' in case things went wrong, Santos said. 'The US kept airplanes overhead in the area during thee operation, as they have in other intelligence missions,' Santos said.

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Don't believe itJul 6th, 2008 - 00:08:15

Still a payoff

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