57 soldiers rescued after being captured in southwest Colombia
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Colombian service members aim during a sniper competition in La Venta, Honduras, June 14, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Lionel Castellano via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
BOGOTA - The Colombian army and police rescued 57 soldiers held for two days in a mountainous southwestern region that is under pressure from leftist guerrillas, the military said on X on Monday.
The troops were detained near the village of El Plateado in Cauca province, a strategic area for drug trafficking where security forces launched an operation in October 2024 to expel illegal armed groups.
The region is a stronghold of a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla group, which rejected a 2016 peace deal. Authorities accuse the group of recruiting minors and pressuring civilians to resist the presence of state forces.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta // REUTERS)
