AMERICANS FREED .... Colombia Also Frees Ex-Candidate Betancourt And Others

Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, center, announces that Colombia's military has rescued former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. military contractors and 11 other hostages from leftist rebels at a press conference in Bogota, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. At left is Gen. Jorge Ballesteros, second left is Chief of National Police Oscar Naranjo, and at right is Gen. Freddy Padilla, Commander of the Armed Forces.(AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez)

From Yahoo News:

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia freed Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors from leftist guerrillas on Wednesday after military spies tricked rebels into giving them up without a single injury, the defense minister said.

The rescue is the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which considered the four hostages their most valuable bargaining chips. The FARC is already reeling from the deaths of key commanders and the loss of much of the territory it once held.

Eleven Colombian soldiers and police also were freed as their guerrilla captors gave up without a fight, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said.

Read more ....

More Breaking News On The Rescue:
Colombia tricks rebels into freeing Betancourt, 14 others -- GMA News
Mission Accomplished: Colombia Rescues Americans, Betancourt From Rebels -- ABC News
Colombia hostage Betancourt freed -- BBC News
3 U.S. Hostages, Colombian Pol Are Rescued -- CBS News
Colombian rebels tricked into giving up hostages -- CNN
Colombia's Stunning Hostage Rescue -- Time Magazine
Colombia says rescues Betancourt, 3 U.S. hostages -- Reuters
Colombia: Betancourt, U.S. hostages rescued -- MSNBC
Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt is freed after 6 years, 4 months and 9 days -- Times Online
Colombian rebels tricked into freeing hostage Ingrid Betancourt -- Telegraph
Colombian military rescues hostages, including Betancourt -- Guardian
Colombia frees Betancourt, Americans -- Breitbart
Colombian military frees Ingrid Betancourt -- International Herald Tribune
Politician Ingrid Betancourt, 3 American Hostages Rescued From Colombian Rebels -- FOX News
Dozens of hostages rescued in Colombia -- MSN Video
FARC is FARC'd: Assessing the Hostage Rescue -- Counter Terrorism Blog
Colombia Rescues Ingrid Betancourt and Three US Hostages -- Counter Terrorism Blog
Colombia Rescues the FARC’s Most Famous Hostage -- Pajamas Media
American Hostages Rescued in Colombia -- Gateway Pundit

My Comments: This is a terrible moral defeat for FARC. It makes them look foolish and incompetent. I can almost sense its support among its now so few supporters slowly drifting away ......