The rescue of high-profile French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, along with 14 other top hostages who the FARC had held in jungle camps for years, was a major coup for the Colombian government in July 2008.
The military rescued the hostages, which included three Americans, in a high-risk operation made successful by the infiltration of the highest levels of the FARC.
Many analysts said the group would never recover from the blow. (President Santos was defense minister at the time.)