(Newser)
–
Colombia's FARC rebel group has freed what it says are its last 10 military and police captives, all of whom had been held in jungle camps for at least 12 years. The four soldiers and six policemen were handed over to a humanitarian mission by the Marxist rebels. They stepped off a helicopter appearing healthy, with some men accompanied by pets—birds, a monkey, and a small pig—they had acquired during their years in captivity, Reuters reports.
Some analysts believe the release—which follows FARC's promise to stop kidnapping people for ransom—shows that the group wants peace after nearly 50 decades of fighting. Others, however, remain skeptical, noting that the group is believed to still have hundreds of civilian hostages and has been funding its activities through other means, including extortion and cocaine trafficking. A US-backed military offensive has killed the group's leaders and driven it into remote regions, making it difficult for it to keep and move hostages.
