Rebels to free Colombian general in coming week
FARC captured Alzate and two others on Nov. 9 in a remote area of western Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says rebel leaders in the coming week will release a high-ranking general whose capture led the government to suspend peace talks.
Santos said Saturday via his Twitter account that authorities are working out details to receive Gen. Ruben Dario Alzate and four other captives.
Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, captured Alzate and two others on Nov. 9 in a remote area of western Colombia. Santos responded by suspending talks underway in Cuba to end the country s half-century-old civil war.
The president has said the 2-year-old talks would resume after Alzate s release.
The 55-year-old general, a counterinsurgency specialist, is the highest-ranking officer ever captured by the FARC.
