Colombian rebels release hostages

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian rebels released four hostages to the International Red Cross on Sunday and have promised to hand over two more kidnapping victims later this week.

The release of three policemen and one soldier – all in captivity at least 20 months – in southeastern Caqueta state came amid nearby Colombian military flights that almost scuttled the release, according to a journalist who was present.

Colombian Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo denied the report, saying the deal did not prohibit flights above a certain altitude.

The charges were made by Jorge Enrique Botero, a reporter with Telesur, a Venezuela state broadcaster.

Those freed were policemen Alexis Torres Zapata, Juan Fernando Galicia, and Jose Walter Lozano; and soldier William Giovanni Rodriguez.

The four flew aboard helicopters lent by the Brazilian government to the Colombian city of Villavicencio and were to meet with President Alvaro Uribe.

The freeing of the hostages by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were the first since the dramatic rescue by military commandos of three U.S. defense contractors, presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 11 others last July. Earlier in 2008, the FARC voluntarily released six other hostages.

The FARC is believed to still be holding more than 700 abductees. Among them are 24 whom it has described as “exchangeable” for rebels in government custody. Some of those hostages have been held as long as 10 years.

Among the 24 are the two other hostages set for release this week: Meta state Gov. Alan Jara and former provincial legislator Sigifredo Lopez. Each has been held six years or longer.