Rescue of Ingrid Betancourt From FARC May be Among Most Daring in History

Independence day has its own reality for several people freed last week from Colombian guerrillas.

Shot of Ingrid Betancourt aboard the rescue helicopter Courtesy: YouTube and the Colombian government

(SALEM, Ore.) - Sometimes life is as awesome as it is tragic, and that is no easy competition in this day and age. Last week's surprise rescue of Ingrid Betancourt from FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, shows that even a highly remote long-shot can be reality and that people are brave, very brave, in their willingness to help an innocent person regain their freedom.

Betancourt is a 46-year old French-Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist, who was kidnapped by the FARC on February 23rd 2002 while campaigning for the presidency.

FARC has held several hundred people hostage over the years, as bargaining chips for their political maneuvering. They are considered a terrorist group by the Colombian government, the United States, Canada, the Latin American Parliament and the European Union. In recent weeks, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, heavily criticized by the Bush Administration and western media, also called for the disbanding of FARC and told them it is time to lay their weapons down. (see: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Tells FARC Revolutionaries the 'Guerrilla War is History').

This unexpected move from Chavez, along with other developments, seemed to set the stage for Betancourt's rescue, along with 15 others held by FARC, including three U.S. Pentagon contractors whose plane crashed in the Colombian jungle three years ago. But there may be more here than meets the eye.

Who was Involved?

Some reports have indicated that this was not the daring rescue that the Colombian government implies, and that a large amount of money traded hands between the Colombian government and rebel forces before it happened.

Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia's Defense Minister, denies reports that $20 million dollars had been paid as ransom, and that the rescue was all arranged in advance with a rebel in charge of the hostages. In this age of paying out huge amounts for wanted individuals, like in Iraq, it seems possible. The Colombian government clearly offers rewards for information leading to the arrest of FARC leaders, but in this case, Mr Santos said: "Not a cent has been paid."

Santos denied international media reports that Israel was involved in the operation, adding that it was "100 per cent Colombian. Not a single foreigner participated." Yet it does seem odd, because he confirmed that a US surveillance plane was overhead monitoring the mission. In the minds of some, that confirms the presence of forces that were not Colombian. Ingrid Betancourt's case has also been declared one of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's priorities while in government.

Another element being overlooked by some sources, is the fact that Colombia's President was facing serious questions from the country's Supreme Court over descending popularity, according to Pascal Drouhaud, author of the book "FARC",

"This operation is arriving at the key political moment for the Colombian President, as you know in the last few days there has been a conflict between the President and the Supreme Court in Colombia, about the conflict to not run again for another presidential term unless the popularity of the President of Colombia..." (sees victory)

When asked if the popularity of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be increased by the rescue, Drouhaud answered "definitely" on French 24 Hour News. Over the question of Chavez, and whether his star of popularity is falling while Uribe's rises, Drouhaud said, "Politically, definitely Uribe won a set".

Relief for 15 Families

Either way, the news for the families of Ingrid Betancourt and the other fourteen families was life changing, to say the least.

According to the official Colombian story, national military intelligence agents flew the white helicopter into the jungle, staging a mock humanitarian mission in which rebels were told they would ferry their hostages to another camp for talks on a prisoner swap.

The soldiers posing as FARC members, reportedly honed their accents in acting lessons to prepare for the mission, though it wasn't explained why that was necessary.

Santos says Wednesday’s rescue operation, "intentionally mimicked two hostage handovers brokered by the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, this year, when Venezuelan helicopters carrying International Red Cross observers picked up six hostages".

Santos explained that, in the last two handovers of hostages, there was always a cameraman sent by Chavez to record the action. That apparently took suspicion off the camera operator from the Colombian government who recorded the video posted below.

Not surprisingly, Betancourt's health seems to have been worsened by the six years in captivity. Reportedly suffering liver problems, she made no comment when entering or checking out of Val de Grace military hospital in southern Paris. She has undergone a battery of medical tests three days after being freed. Her sister Astrid was quoted by France-Info radio as saying that initial test results were reassuring.

Betancourt arrived on Friday in Paris, the home of her two children, to a hero's welcome.

The video of rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, releasing the 15 hostages to disguised Colombian commandos, was made public by the Colombian government, over questions about the military’s dramatic rescue.

The tape, released Friday, showed the captives angry and resigned at having their hands bound, and then minutes later tears of joy were clear aboard the helicopter, after the hostages discovered they had been freed.

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Video of the release courtesy of the government of Colombia and YouTube:

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