Colombian soldiers have rescued a local politician kidnapped more than eight years ago by FARC guerrillas in another blow to Latin America's oldest rebel insurgency, authorities said on Sunday.
The rescue of former lawmaker Oscar Lizcano comes after French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans and a group of other hostages were freed in a military operation in July after years in jungle camps.
"The army and national police have carried out a joint operation ... that led to the rescue and handover of Dr Oscar Lizcano," local official Henry Murillo told Caracol radio.
The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was once a powerful rebel army that controlled large areas of the country but has been battered by President Alvaro Uribe's US-backed security campaign. The rebels lost three commanders this year and hundreds more fighters have deserted.
Guerrillas are still holding scores of hostages for political leverage and ransom. Lizcano, who was reportedly in poor health, was rescued in the country's north-eastern jungle region, officials said.
Uribe has received billions of dollars in US military and counter-narcotics aid to battle the FARC and the cocaine trade that has helped fuel Colombia's four-decade conflict.
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