Colombian Armed Forces have increased operations in the north of the country to prevent three recently kidnapped oil workers from being sold to the FARC, said the commander of the armed forces Friday.
According to Admiral Edgar Cely, the country’s highest military commander, the “workers are in the hands of common criminals. The same day the kidnapping took place, they made four calls to the company. In the first call they asked what there was,” reported Spanish press agency EFE.
Since then, members of the army, the navy and police have been involved in operations to find the hostages and their kidnappers.
“We hope the regional commanders give us good news regarding the rescue of the three workers,” Cely said.
EFE did not report why the Cely thought the kidnappers had the intention of selling their victims to the FARC.
The country’s largest guerrilla group kidnapped oil workers twice this year and are still holding hostage four Chinese oil workers who were kidnapped from the southern Caqueta department.