Former prez candidate rescued from rebels in Columbia

FREE AT LAST: Ingrid Betancourt and two US officials were held hostage for six years.

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Keywords: Leftist Rebels, Columbia

New Delhi: Columbian troops have rescued French-Columbian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages from Leftist guerillas. The rescue took place on Wednesday in the southern jungle province of Guaviare.

Ingrid Betancourt and two US officials were held hostage for six years, along with 11 others. She was last seen in a rebel video at the end of last year.

The operation is being seen as the biggest blow yet to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, for its acronym in Spanish.

46-year-old Betancourt - who is a former presidential candidate - was seized in February 2002 by FARC.

French president Nicholas Sarkozy had earlier made a personal plea to the guerillas for Betancourt's release. Farc guerrillas have been holding about 40 prominent hostages in the jungle and hoping to negotiate the release of about 500 of the group's jailed fighters.