Ingrid Betancourt, right, looks at her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, after her arrival at Catam military airport in Bogota, on July 2, 2008. Ms Betancourt, three Americans and 11 other hostages were rescued from leftist guerrillas. Leonardo Suarez / Reuters
PARIS // Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician held captive by guerrillas in the Amazon jungle, woke up a free woman on Thursday for the first time in more than six years.
om the presidential palace in Paris, her voice trembling with emotion.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday hailed a Colombian rescue operation that freed former politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans and 11 other hostages from the hands of Marxist rebels.
"We are overjoyed at the liberation of those people," Chavez said, following nearly a day of unusual silence after the rescue was announced.
o attend China Olympics opening ceremonies

My Colombian wife, Maria, is not someone to be trifled with once she shuts her eyes. I've often said that if we divorce, it'll be at 2 a.m. when I've accidentally woken her up.
But last night, I woke her up to inform her that former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt had been rescued.
ect Hollywood moment.

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt embraces her son Lorenzo, right, and daughter Melaine upon their arrival at a military base in Bogota on Thursday. Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt embraces her son Lorenzo, right, and daughter Melaine upon their arrival at a military base in Bogota on Thursday. (Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press)
Rescued hostage Ingrid Betancourt hugged her children for the first time in six years Thursday at a teary reunion in Colombia's capital of Bogota.
on its successful mission.

In what Colombian officials called an elaborate ruse, commandos deceived a rebel unit entrusted with the prized hostages into turning them over in a grassy field deep in southeastern Guaviare province. The prisoners, who included 11 Colombian soldiers, were then flown to freedom in what amounted to a powerful blow to a fast-waning insurgency.
By late afternoon, the hostages were transported to the main military air base in Bogota, the Colombian capital, where they were reunited with relatives as a military band played the national anthem.
he operation will also boost the popularity of America's best friend in the region, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe whose efforts against

In a major triumph for the Colombian government, commandos rescued - the highest-profile hostage held by the FARC militant group, the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, along with fourteen other hostages. Betancourt had been held in remote jungle camps since 2003, and the FARC rebels had pressed to trade her and other captives for imprisoned guerillas.
Betancourt’s rescue spotlights the longstanding showdown between the Colombian government and the FARC. The Washington Post calls the rescue a “powerful blow to a fast-waning insurgency” (WashPost). The Financial Times writes that the event marks one of the most significant events of Colombian President Alvaro

AP A high-profile hostage rescued from Colombian rebels after over six years in captivity on Wednesday said that on the morning of her rescue she put

By Hugh Bronstein BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's rescue of 15 rebel-held hostages, including politician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans, was a severe blow to Latin America's oldest left-wing insurgency and a coup for President Alvaro Uribe.
Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen and former presidential candidate, had been held for more than six years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, and was its best-known captive.
wept and prayed as she hugged relatives at a Bogota air base while the three U.S. defense contractors -- Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes -- were flown to the United States after five years in captivity.

by Frank Bajak - Jul. 3, 2008 12:00 AM AP BOGOTA, Colombia - Ingrid Betancourt sat handcuffed in a helicopter with 14 other hostages, angry and frustrated at what she thought was just another maneuver by her rebel captors.
Then, she noticed something odd:
he sky because we were jumping up and down, yelling, crying, hugging one another," Betancourt said. "We couldn't believe it."

Ingrid Betancourt held hostage by the Farc rebels in Colombia since 2002 was set free on Wednesday by the Colombian authorities. Former IDF officers and commanders from elite units trained the Colombian security forces who launched the bullet free operation to free three Americans and 11 members of the Colombian security forces along with Betancourt. It is a known fact that Colombia hired a number of former IDF generals and officers to advise on improving Colombia's intelligence and paramilitary capabilities. Colombian security forces have also undergone training in Israel. Shortly after her release Betancourt herself compared the successful operation to the Israeli army.07/03/08
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MOSCOW, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. nationals were freed after being held hostage for several years by a Marxist rebel group, through a bloodless military intelligence operation.
The politician, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship, had been the focus of an international campaign since her capture in 2002, with leaders including the French president attempting to negotiate her release.
ro Uribe, whose father was killed by FARC insurgents, and who has consistently refused to make any compromises with the group, said: "This was an intelligence operation comparable with the greatest epics of human history, but without a drop of blood being spilled, without one weapon being fired."

French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt, right, hugs her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, upon her arrival at the Catam air base in Bogota.
15 hostages freed as FARC is fooled in cunning operation
about 200 miles southeast of Bogota and putting them aboard a helicopter, supposedly for a meeting with new FARC commander Alfonso Cano.

AP / July 3, 2008 BOGOTA - The Colombian rebels' most-prized hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, was a brash, in-your-face presidential candidate whose style angered both leftist rebels and Colombia's entrenched political class before she was kidnapped more than six years ago.
Before her abduction on Feb. 23, 2002, Betancourt blasted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for trafficking drugs and kidnapping innocents in the name of socialism and equality. But she was equally hard on corrupt Colombian lawmakers.
ident Nicolas Sarkozy vigorously sought her release, and her family campaigned to keep her plight in the public eye. Her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, met with everyone

MEXICO CITY, July 2 (Xinhua) - Latin American countries congratulated Colombia on Wednesday for its military rescue of 15 hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),reports reaching here said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the international community has waited for the release for so long and he was "excited" to hear of the release of Ingrid Betancourt and the 14 other hostages.
dnesday was a dayof "joy and happiness" and the rescue was a victory for life and liberty.

July 3 (Reuters) - French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans and 11 other hostages held for years in jungle captivity were rescued on Wednesday from leftist guerrillas by Colombian troops.
Following are comments from family, world leaders and others in reaction to the rescue.
rican leaders and said he was thinking of all the released hostages as well as those still in captivity.

Here is a round-up of reaction to the news that Colombian authorities have rescued Ingrid Betancourt - a French-Colombian politician held by Farc rebels since 2002.
INGRID BETANCOURT
is a 'strong leader'.