FARC you!

On July 8, 2008, BBC News announced that French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages had been freed after FARC rebels holding them were tricked into handing them over. Colombian soldiers - posing as members of a non-government organisation - flew them to freedom in a helicopter. Betancourt said at the time, "This is a miracle. There is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation." She had been held by the left-wing FARC rebels for more than six years.

This event was believed to have dealt a serious blow to the lifeblood of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC. Combined with action by the Colombian military, 2008, was said by many to signal the beginning of the end for the Marxist-Leninist guerrillas, who are listed by the U.S., Canada, the European Union and Colombia as a terrorist organisation. However, this year has seen a resurgence of their activity in an attempt to prove that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

For the International Terrorism analyst, three links are shown below. The first two are the most recent actions by FARC and the last is a detailed backgrounder.

• Colombian rebels turn to urban warfare after battlefield losses. Bloomberg. 7/8/09.
• FARC kills six soldiers in east Colombia. Colombia Reports. 7/1/09.
• FARC, ELN: Colombia's Left-Wing Guerrillas. Council on Foreign Relations. 3/11/08.