BOGOTA, Colombia — Leftist guerrillas issued a statement Saturday acknowledging for the first time that they are holding three U.S. government contractors who crashed in a plane in rebel-held territory 10 days ago.
Rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC for its Spanish initials, referred to the three kidnapped Americans as “CIA agents” and claimed responsibility for shooting down the plane Feb. 13.
The rebels demanded the immediate cessation of rescue efforts in a small area surrounding the site of the crash in the mountains of southern Colombia.
The communique made no mention of the two other crew members, an American and a Colombian intelligence official, whose bodies, shot at close range, were found near the crash site.
“We will guarantee the life and physical integrity of the three gringo officials in our power only if the Colombian army immediately suspends military operations and overflights,” read the statement, which was posted on the group’s Web site and signed by its ruling junta.
The rescue efforts are backed by more than 150 U.S. Special Forces troops, which President Bush sent to Colombia last week after using his executive authority to waive a congressionally mandated cap of 400 U.S. troops in the war-torn nation.
The decision to send in the troops, first reported by The Washington Post on Saturday, brought to 411 the number of U.S. soldiers operating in Colombia.
There were already more than 200 U.S. soldiers in Colombia performing a variety of missions, including training Colombian troops to defend an oil pipeline in the northeastern part of the country.
There was no immediate response from the Colombian military to the rebels’ demand.
U.S. embassy officials said they were aware of the rebel statement but had no response.
The search for the kidnapped Americans continued Saturday, and there were signs that the Colombian effort had managed to corral the rebels in a small area.
