FARC: "It was an escape, not a rescue"

Ingrid Betancourt and the 14 other hostages weren't rescued by the Colombian army, but instead escaped from captivity thanks to the treachery of their guards. That, at least, is the FARC version of what happened last week, when Betancourt & Co. appeared from nowhere in helicopters manned by Colombian troops and with their guards bound and handcuffed.

In a statement dated July 5 and published today on the ABR-website, the FARC lay the blame for the hostages' "escape" squarely at the feet of the local commanders César and Enrique who "betrayed their revolutionary committment and the trust placed in them." It seems the FARC secretariat believe that César and Enrique were bribed, which ties in with the 20-million-dollar version of events. Was the perfectly executed no-shot-fired army rescue really a scripted performance after all? Remember Jessica Lynch?

The statement goes on to say that FARC will continue to work for the release of it's combatants in jail and warns that if the government persists with its rescue attempts of hostages then it should be prepared to "assume all the consequences" of its "adventurous decision." That could be veiled threat to kill or maim hostages still being held by the FARC or a threat to do so in the event of another rescue attempt.