The United States has been working with Colombia to rescue hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) long before Bogota successfully launched a rescue operation, the White House said Thursday.
The U.S. government "has been working with the Colombian government ever since the hostages were taken in order to try to free them," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.
The spokeswoman declined to reveal any specifics about the rescue operation on Wednesday.
"We were aware in its planning stages, but this was an operation that was conceived by the Colombians and executed by the Colombians with our full support. But they did not need a green light from us," she said.
It was reported that in a cunning jungle raid on Wednesday, Colombian special forces rescued 15 hostages, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betan court, three U.S. citizens and 11 members of the Colombian armed forces.
U.S. Ambassador to Bogota William Brownfield told CNN that Washington had provided "technical support" to the rescue operation, but Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos insisted that it was a "one hundred percent Colombian" effort.
The FARC, the largest guerrilla group in Latin America, has been fighting the Colombian government since the 1960s.
The rebel group, accused of drug trafficking and holding some 750 people hostage in its jungle hideouts, is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and the Colombian government.
Source:Xinhua
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