The body of a kidnapped Colombian governor was found yesterday with his throat slashed, hours after the launch of a massive military operation to rescue the man from Marxist rebels.
‘We still don't have the time of the murder, but we did confirm that his throat was slashed. The cowards slit his throat,’ Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said in a nationally broadcast speech.
Caqueta Governor Luis Francisco Cuellar's body was discovered by farmers near the charred remains of a car from which he was kidnapped on Monday, 15km south of Florencia.
Mr Cuellar is the first governor to be kidnapped and murdered since Mr Uribe took office in August 2002 promising a ‘safe democracy’ and a heavy military crackdown on armed rebel groups.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has stepped up its attacks lately despite Mr Uribe's efforts.
It holds captive hundreds of hostages, including soldiers and local officials.
A unit of the FARC on Monday threw a grenade at Mr Cuellar’s residence in Florencia and exchanged gunfire with security guards before kidnapping the governor and fleeing.
Interim Caqueta governor Olga Patricia Vega said that after the kidnap, Mr Cuellar apparently had trouble walking which led to his execution by his captors.
The interim governor said Mr Cuellar, who turned 69 on Tuesday, had already been kidnapped four times before he became governor.
Mr Uribe slammed the FARC for offering to release two captive soldiers at the same time they were kidnapping Mr Cuellar.
