Ingrid Betancourt

At least seven rebels were killed Saturday in the bombing of a rebel camp by the military in the jungles of the southeastern province of Guaviare, officials said. The insurgent base, located in a rural area near the town of Calamar, belonged to the First Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, an official of the Omega Joint Task Force, the elite military squad responsible for the operation, said. The official told media that the camp was bombed by the Colombian air force, killing at least seven rebels. Two others were wounded and captured by troops that landed near the guerrilla ... Read Full Story

At least 18 leftist rebels and soldiers were killed in the past week in southwestern Colombia clashes as Latin America's oldest guerrilla conflict continues to rage, a military official said Saturday. Thirteen members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has been battling the government in Bogota for 45 years, and five soldiers were killed in the fighting, the official told AFP. The toll could not immediately be confirmed by an independent source. The military operation, which unfolded in a mountainous region of Cauca department, was launched 10 days ago to "neutralize" guerilla activity and "halt drug trafficking" in this area close ... Read Full Story

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe agreed on Saturday to rebel demands that they be allowed to free hostages one at a time rather than all at once, a reversal in government policy that could speed up releases. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is holding 24 soldiers and police, some for as long as 12 years. Uribe previously insisted the guerrillas free all the hostages at one time, a condition the FARC rejected. The change in government position could set the stage for the release of two soldiers the FARC had offered to free in April. The father of Pablo ... Read Full Story

Plans for South American neighbors to renew diplomatic ties after nearly going to war in 2008 stalled Thursday following an Ecuadoran arrest warrant for the chief of Colombia's armed forces. A meeting of the commanders of each country's military in Ecuador was cancelled when an Ecuadoran judge issued an arrest warrant for Colombian General Freddy Padilla, Ecuadoran Security Minister Miguel Carvajal said. A Colombian source told AFP that Bogota feared an attempt to arrest Padilla would trigger another crisis. Padilla was scheduled Friday to meet Ecuadoran General Fabian Varela in the northern city of Ibarra as part of the process aimed to renew ties. ... Read Full Story

Former Franco-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt called on the FARC guerrilla group to free all the prisoners it is holding in the jungles of Colombia. "I want to talk to the FARC and tell them that we are disgusted. I want to talk to the FARC to say to them that enough is enough and that we want them to open the door," she said late Thursday. Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who was held for more than six years by the FARC, made the remarks after being awarded a prize for courage from Radio Canada and Reporters Without Borders. Betancourt was freed July ... Read Full Story