Not a single shot was fired. Not a drop of blood was shed. In a dramatic operation characterised by brain and not brawn, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans and 11 other hostages -- held for more than six years in a jungle -- were rescued on Wednesday by the Colombian troops.
The Farc (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels, who have been fighting to overthrow the Colombian government, were fooled by the undercover military operatives posing as aid workers. Betancourt was the rebels' high-profile hostage.
The rebels had been tricked into handing over the hostages by soldiers posing as members of a fictitious non-government organisation that supposedly would fly the captives to a camp to meet a rebel leader. The helicopters were actually from the Army.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has congratulated the Army and urged Farc to release the other hostages.
"God, this is a miracle... There is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation," Betancourt told the media on emerging from the helicopter.
The rescue operation was full of drama and suspense.
Image: Ingrid Betancourt (right) with her mother Yolanda Pulecio upon her arrival at the Catam air base in Bogota.
Photographs: Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images
Advertisement
