Colombian rebels claim to hold Americans
 |
The bodies of two passengers were found shot near the wreckage of their crashed plane.
Story Tools
|
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Leftist rebels said for the first time Saturday they are holding three Americans hostage. The guerrillas demanded the Colombian military suspend operations in the region where the three were kidnapped in return for their safety.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, accused the three Americans of being CIA agents.
The Americans were on a U.S. government plane on an intelligence mission when it crashed in southern Colombia on February 13. A fourth American and a Colombian army sergeant were shot and killed at the site.
"We can only guarantee the life and physical integrity of the three gringo officials in our power if the Colombian army immediately suspends military operations and overflights in the area," said the statement, signed by the FARC's secretariat.
U.S. officials have refused to identify the men or say what government agency they were working for when their plane had engine trouble and was forced to crash land in a region controlled by the FARC. The two men who were killed were shot execution-style, according to Colombian and U.S. officials.
The kidnapping marks the first time U.S. government employees have been captured in Colombia's 38-year civil war setting leftist rebels against the government and a right-wing paramilitary army. About 3,500 people die in the fighting every year.
The U.S. State Department has appealed to the captors for proof that the Americans are alive. The Colombian government on Thursday offered a $345,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the three.
The 17,000-strong FARC considers U.S. involvement in Colombia an act of war and has warned that it would attack U.S. citizens and interests.
In the three years, Washington has given Colombia roughly $2 billion in mostly military aid, initially just for counter-narcotics efforts. The restrictions were recently lifted to allow Colombia to use the U.S. equipment and U.S.-trained troops to fight the rebels directly.
Copyright 2003 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
