A High-Profile Kidnapping in Colombia Halts Rebel Talks

Suspected FARC militants seized Brig. Gen. Ruben Dario Alzate on Nov. 16 as he arrived at the settlement of Las Mercedes in Choco department, Colombia. Alzate is the commander of the Colombian armed forces' Titan Task Force, which is based in the department capital of Quibdo, less than 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of the site of the kidnapping. Alzate departed from Quibdo by boat, accompanied by two soldiers and a lawyer. The brigadier general apparently broke protocol by traveling on the river with inadequate protection and wearing civilian clothing instead of a military uniform....