Marxist rebels killed a provincial governor, a former defense minister and eight soldiers held hostage when the army botched a rescue attempt Monday, the government and survivors said. A rebel commander gave the order to kill Antioquia province Gov. Guillermo Gaviria, former Defense Minister Gilberto Echeverri and the eight others as helicopter-borne troops charged into jungle-covered mountains northwest of Medellin in a daylight attack, officials said. The dead were among 80 prisoners–including soldiers, congressmen, a former presidential candidate and three U.S. civilian Defense Department contractors–whom the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, wanted to exchange for jailed rebels. Only three captives held in the jungle camp, all of them soldiers, survived the rescue attempt. The remaining approximately 70 hostages proposed for a prisoner swap by the FARC are believed to be held in other parts of Colombia’s jungles. Full Story
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