Colombia's troops hunt for kidnapped governor

---Quote---*Colombia's troops hunt for kidnapped governor* 22 Dec 2009 17:29:03 GMT Source: Reuters* Kidnapping blamed on FARC guerrillas * Assault shows rebels are still capable force * Caqueta a traditional FARC stronghold (Recasts with more analysis, details throughout) By Patrick MarkeyBOGOTA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Colombian troops on Tuesday searched for a local governor kidnapped by leftist FARC guerrillas in a nighttime raid that could test President Alvaro Uribe's security campaign. The kidnapping of Luis Cuellar, the Caqueta state governor, underscores how Latin America's oldest guerrilla insurgency is still capable of high-profile operations despite years of being battered by a U.S.-backed military offensive. Armed rebels, dressed in military uniforms, blasted through the door of Cuellar's house in southern Colombia late on Monday, killed a police guard and bundled the governor into a waiting vehicle, officials said. Authorities said the FARC's Teofilo Forero unit was likely responsible for the kidnapping, a rare reminder of the darker days of Colombia's long conflict, when lawmakers and politicians were easy prey for rebel kidnap squads. "Every military and police effort must be made to ensure a rescue, we cannot keep being held captive by the whim of terrorists, terrorists who bathe the country in blood and who trick us everyday," Uribe told reporters.---End Quote---Article continued at Sorry [ Click here to register ]

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