Two United States corporations this week agreed to pay $13 million to terrorists who kidnapped eight workers--including five Americans--in Equador last October.
One American hostage was murdered by the gangsters Jan 31 because the initial ransom demand of $80 million wasn't paid by the oil-exploration firms.
Three of the hostages are from Chile, Argentina and New Zealand.
Those countries have antiterrorist units called the UAT, Haicon and lst SAS, respectively. America, of course, has the celebrated Delta Force, Green Berets, Seals and Rangers.
Big deal. Despite hype in the news media, novels and Hollywood productions, those international swat teams weren't used to extract the hostages.
Why? Perhaps memories of America's failed attempt to rescue its 52 embassy hostages from Iran in April 1980. Their release came only after America paid a ransom in military hardware.(25 FEBRUARY 2001)
