Fifty-seven Colombian soldiers were kidnapped by civilians acting under pressure from separatist groups of the former guerrilla organization Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which operate in mountainous regions in the southwest of the country, the Colombian army announced, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
This area, near El Plateado in Cauca department, is a key area for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the ongoing conflict in the country, the agency notes.