A police official held captive by the FARC was able to escape his captors during an armed forces offensive in which four of his colleagues were executed by the rebels, Colombia’s defense minister said Saturday.
“At the moment the first shots were heard, sergeant Erazo took the decision to run. He run and he hid in the jungle. According to reports, he was pursued by three terrorists of the FARC who even threw grenades at him during the chase. This caused him facial injuries,” Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said.
According to Pinzon, the police official was able to hide from the guerrillas and find his way to government forces after hearing helicopters.
Erazo was captured by the FARC in 1999 in the same Curillo municipality where he was found Saturday.
His four colleagues, who had all spent over 12 years in FARC captivity, were found executed after the army offensive.
The execution of the prisoners was fiercely condemned by Colombian politics and peace organizations.
The FARC is holding another 16 members of the security forces prison in the southern Colombian jungle. The rebel organization also has civilian hostages, but estimates on how many differ.
