A Celebration of Freedom … Colombian Hostages Free … Rescued from FARC Rebels

On 4th of July weekend … what better story than a celebration of freedom.

The rescue of the hostages in Colombia from FARC rebels. The emotions speak volumes of the hostages as they realize that they can now celebrate their own Independence Day.

Colombia showed video Friday of an orderly mission that ended in hugs and laughter for 15 hostages who were rescued from a Colombian guerilla group this week.

Check out the raw video footage of the hostages celebration of freedom when they finally learned on board the helicopter that there were free.

More video HERE.

6 Responses to “A Celebration of Freedom … Colombian Hostages Free … Rescued from FARC Rebels”

1. tuyvnsurvivor on July 5th, 2008 5:35 pm

   This guerilla group and hostage situation must be a great deal different than I woul d have expected. Certainly I do not keep up with the story well enough to be as informed as might be.

   Could be just me, but the hostages seem to be at least groomed up for the rescue, weeks or months in advance if anything can be gleemed from smiles, skin condition, body weight, body language. Eyes give a deal of insight to the conditiion of the mind.

   I am greatfull they are released, seems I am not by mentioning these things. Hoping we get to find out more about the progress of this rescue that appears to be more a release. At any rate it seems they are glad to be back, glad I was not one of them.

2. M Dabby on July 5th, 2008 8:03 pm

   #1,

   It was not a release. It was a rescue. The guerrillas guarding the hostages were tricked into believing that the 15 kidnapped victims were being led to the new FARC leader, after Manuel Marulanda’s death from heart attack, a few months back.

   The liberated hostages, including three American contractors were held against their will for many years in the jungles of southern Colombia. I doubt we can tell much about the released hostages emotional and psychological state of mind just from a 2 minute video clip.

3. booyah on July 5th, 2008 8:53 pm

   this is all convenient considering the leader of this group died a few months back and now its staged to look like the colombians tricked them, only it was a rouse by the colombians and the now defunct farc to make them look good, turn in a couple of members and the new leader walks off with the $45million they paid him to make this happen. he was much smarter than the old leader, and he may even be a government agent.

4. libhomo on July 5th, 2008 10:49 pm

   We now know the fact that the hostages were released by FARC in return for a $20 million ransom. We also know that the Bush administration financed the ransom with US tax money.

5. richard on July 6th, 2008 7:18 am

   I haven’t seen anything to show that their release coincided with the payment of a ransom. If there’s news to that effect, please post it.

   In the absence of such news, I’ll continue to admire the Colombians who put their lives on the line and walked into the lion’s den. I’m told that a US plane was nearby … but as far as I know, the Colombians did the deed.

   Let’s think about this for a bit. Ingrid Betancourt’s saga was well known … but the three Americans held hostage for years were not as prominent.

   And if the news that we have is accurate, it wasn’t the military power of the U.S. that freed them. It was an ingenious and very risky move by Colombians.

   All of our strength apparently played little or no role in this. We stood by and pleaded, exhorted, and essentially did nothing to save these people.

   What COULD we have done? I don’t know.

   What does this whole tragedy bode for other Americans who may be held hostage at some future date … if not now? (The Latin American continent is a big place, and Aruba is nearby.
   So is Curacao, where Amy Bradley vanished in 1998.)

   Ain’t nobody looking, is there?

6. Scared Monkeys on July 6th, 2008 7:28 am

   #4.

   That story hardly holds water when previously the Colombian govt reportedly had offered FARC much more in the past for these same hostages. I beleive the sum was $100 million in the past

   Colombia minister denies US$20M paid to free 15 hostages
   http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=124129

   Earlier Friday the Swiss radio station Radio Suisse Romande reported that the bloodless release of the captives was obtained by paying 20 million dollars to the FARC.

   The hostages “were in reality ransomed for a high price, and the whole operation afterwards was a set-up,” the radio’s French-language channel said.

   And in Colombia reports said that, far from being a ruse, the handover was prearranged with a payoff through the lover of a turncoat FARC leader.

   Army chief General Mario Montoya denied in the press conference that any money was paid in the rescue.

   “We have not paid one single cent, much less 20 million dollars. That would have been cheap,” he said, according to a CNN translation.

   “Because we had offered 100 million dollars. If they would have just handed over the hostages, there wouldn’t have been any mission.”

   Why would FARC take less now? The answer is, they would not.

   Of course the obligatory question must be asked … what is wrong with you liberals who are so consumed with hating GWB. My God, get some psych help. Take your meds, do something. You people have become nothing more than a delusional annoiance.

   WHAT PART ABOUT FREEDOM DO YOU HATE?

   You guys cannot just accept the fact that people were freed, the good guys won and the leftist FARC rebels lost. It is sad, pathetically sad how some will just never have a good thing to say, when there is actually good news.

   BTW … you do not think the price of 15 human lives is worth $20M?
   R

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