Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. contractors freed

Update (8.00 pm): The following is a video clip from argentine television of Ingrid Betancourt after she arrived in Bogota including some of her remarks:

She mentioned several things during her speech and a brief Q & A session including:

• her deep gratitude to the Almighty, to the Colombian government and the armed forces, France's president, and all those worldwide who supported her;
• details over the "impeccable" and "perfect" military operation which led to her liberation along with 14 others;
• the rapturous joy of the hostages once they were told that they were in a rescue operation;
• admitting that she was in good health despite being seriously ill during her time in captivity;
• expressing solidarity with the hundreds still being held against their will by the guerillas;
  
• a message in French in solidarity with her "brothers across the Atlantic";
• thanking the Venezuelan and Ecuadorian presidents for their concern yet warned that they must "respect Colombian democracy";
• hope that today's events could bring "peace to Colombia";
• not regretting the circumstances that led to her kidnapping (travelling through a guerilla-heavy area during her 2002 presidential campaign);
  
• confessing to not knowing what her political future would hold though she didn't deny the possibility of running again for the presidency.
  

In an interview with CNN en Espanol, Betancourt added that she contemplated committing suicide yet was able to gradually overcome those urges "day by day." She also urged people not to judge Colombia by the violence that included her kidnapping and sent a tender message to her children who are en route to Colombia.

Eleven of the other hostages spoke briefly and mostly thanked the government and army.

The three U.S. contractors freed today are on their way to San Antonio, Texas where they will probably meet with grateful family members.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have issued statements praising the military rescue and congratulating Colombia's government. Yet McCain added that he was "briefed" of the operation last night by President Uribe while he was paying his political visit to Colombia. (Coincidence? I think not).

We'll have more details on Thursday on the successful military rescue and its aftermath including President Uribe's televised speech that he'll give later.

Update (6.15 pm): The rescued hostages have just arrived in Bogota, free and relieved!

Update (6.00 pm): Colombia's Caracol Radio interviewed a recently-freed Betancourt who briefly described the military operation. According to her, the rescue was very quick since her captors were tricked by infiltrated intelligence agents into believing that the guerillas were transferring those kidnapped to another part of the jungle. Once she realized that it was a military rescue she "cried...and gave praise to God". She went on to thank Colombians for their solidarity and said that her liberation signals a "signal of piece" for the country.

The freed hostages are expected to arrive in the next few minutes to the Catam military base in Bogota. They are expected to be reunited with their families and might speak to the assembled press.

Update (5.35 pm): French president Nicolas Sarkozy appeared with some of Ingrid Betancourt's children at a press conference. He praised the Colombian government and the troops who took part in the operation. He also congratulated the efforts of several world leaders like Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez for helping to free the hostages. Sarkozy offered his help to free the other hostages.

Betancourt's son and daughter spoke and congratulated the governments of France and Colombia for their efforts. They also thanked all the people such as "all those anonymous people around the world" for their solidarity with them and for their mother's liberation. Betancourt's children will fly to Colombia tonight to meet with their mom.

According to CNN en Espanol, a reporter overheard a rescued Betancourt who seemed to be in good health and was said to have not expected to be rescued by the army.

Update (5.15 pm): Colombia's Noticiero Caracol is reporting that Defense Minister Santos has privately met with the fifteen rescued hostages at a military base outside of Bogota and that they will be transported to a base in Bogota.

It's also being reported that President Uribe has talked to his counterparts in the U.S. and France. Reactions have come from leaders around the world expressing relief at the freeing of the fifteen hostages. Some such as Bolivia's Evo Morales advocated that the next step should be a humanitarian mission to free the remaining hostages. Meanwhile the White House responded by praising the Uribe administration and their policy of "democratic security".

As can be expected, family members of those rescued have been very happy and anxiously await to be reunited.

Update (4.45 pm): Video of Santos' press conference slightly over an hour ago (via Colombia Reports):

According to CNN en Espanol, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will give a formal press conference at 10pm (-5 GMT).

Update (4.15 pm): More details have yet to be revealed of the operation. As Center for International Policy's analyst Adam Isacson commented on his blog:

If it happened “cleanly” - few casualties, no killed hostages - an appropriate analogy may be the 1997 rescue of MRTA hostages at the Japanese embassy in Peru. The beginning of the end (for the FARC).

We don’t know enough yet. Did the Colombians shoot their way in, or did they bribe the people guarding the FARC? Did a “cerco humanitario” slowly starve out the FARC captors, or was it a lightning-fast Delta-type operation? If they’ve known the hostages’ location for months, why did they need to wait so long?

We’ll know more later. What is certain, though, is that it another in a remarkable series of blows to the FARC that started about a year ago. Another year like this past one, and the FARC may still be around, but it will be a fragment of what it is today. Still larger than the ELN [ed. Colombia's second biggest guerilla army], probably, but much weakened.

No word from any of the main U.S. presidential candidates including John McCain who was finishing his brief visit to Colombia.

Update (3.50 pm): Recently freed Colombian politician Luis Eladio Perez was just interviewed by Caracol TV and expressed his "joy and relief" at the breaking news. (He had been held for a few years along with Betancourt while they were in captivity). He congratulated the Colombian army for the operation though he also noted that it is vital that the hundreds of remaining hostages be safely freed whether it be via a military operation or a humanitarian mission. He warned the FARC that they refrain from doing anything "stupid" and that they immediatlly free those in captivity.

Meanwhile, the mainstream press (BBC News, Reuters, CNN to name a few) has reported the news of the rescue mission with few details and lots of background into the Colombian civil conflict.

Update (3.30 pm): The press conference just ended without Santos or any other officials taking questions from the media.

A senior military officer (the head of the army?) described some details of the military operation which took place today in the Colombian jungle, entitled "Operation Checkmate." He did not mention any fatalities though he pointed out that two guerilla members had been "neutralized" (i.e. captured). The fifteen freed are said to be on the way to a military base outside of Bogota where they will be met by officials and possibly the press.

Betancourt had been held captive since 2002 while the three U.S. contractors had been kidnapped in 2003. The twelve others had been held hostage for differing amounts of time with some being captive for a decade.

To repeat, more information will be coming up as it develops.

Original post: In a breaking story, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said that fifteen hostages held by the leftist FARC guerillas were rescued in a "special military operation" earlier today. Among those freed "safe and sound" are French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. contractors, according to Santos who is currently speaking at a press conference.

More information to come later as it develops.