Hostages Taken After Plane Crash

The State Department in Washington said Saturday it holds Colombian rebels responsible for the well-being of three US citizens taken hostage after their plane crashed earlier this month. US government officials and demanded the hostages' immediate release.

State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt said the government has learned that the Americans, among the five people aboard a crashed U.S. aircraft, are held by the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The two other passengers aboard the Cessna Caravan were shot, apparently execution-style.

"Those holding them captive are responsible for their safety, health and well-being. All available resources are being used around the clock to conduct search and rescue operations," Batt said. "We demand their immediate and safe release."

Pentagon officials said Saturday that President Bush has ordered an additional 150 U.S. soldiers to Colombia to help search for the three.

The FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group, said it was holding the Americans and that it had shot down the plane, which crashed in southern Colombia on Feb. 13.

Too Many US Troops In Colombia?

In 2001, Congress limited the number of U.S. troops in Colombia to 400 but allowed the president to exceed that number for emergency searches and rescues. The extra 150 troops brought the total U.S. forces in Colombia to 411, according to The Washington Post, which first reported Bush's order Saturday.

But White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said in Crawford, Texas, that the president's actions in sending additional U.S. forces were ``within the congressional authorization.'' He declined to discuss details.

"We are working closely with Colombia," Fleischer said. "FARC is an organization that has wreaked havoc on the Colombian economy and the Colombian people, and we have common cause in defeating FARC. And we will do that together."

In a statement released Saturday, after Mr. Bush sent the troops, the FARC demanded that the Colombian military suspend operations in the area where the Americans disappeared. It accused the American hostages of being agents of the CIA.

Hostages are SOUTHCOM Contractors

Pentagon officials have identified the men as contractors for U.S. Southern Command, the military command that oversees operations in Colombia and elsewhere in South America. Officials have said they do not work for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Batt said the United States has just one goal at this point: find and rescue the hostages. "Any questions about the U.S. response to that type of hostage scenario will not be addressed until the whereabouts and well-being of the missing crew members has been ascertained," she said. "We do not want to speculate on this. We have not authorized or requested any group to negotiate.

The February 13th kidnappings marks the first time U.S. government employees have been captured in Colombia's 38-year civil war. About 3,500 Colombians are killed in the conflict every year.

The State Department appealed to the captors for proof the American hostages are still alive. The Colombian government on Thursday offered a $345,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of all three.

The United States has given Colombia about $2 billion, mostly in military aid, since 2001. The 2003 budget recently passed by Congress adds another $500 million.

FMI: www.state.gov