New Colombia offensive looms as presidential candidate remains hostage

Colombia's military prepared for a major offensive, including more aerial bombardments, days after the collapse of peace talks with leftist guerrillas and following the abduction of presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
Late Monday an army general announced that his forces had located the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas that are holding Betancourt.
However the rescue operation was suspended at the request of Betancourt's family, "who asked that her life not be endangered," said General Roberto Pizarro, the military commander of the southern Colombian region.
FARC rebels kidnapped Betancourt, 40, along with her campaign manager when she tried to drive into the nearby former rebel stronghold of San Vicente del Caguan on Saturday.
Betancourt, a candidate for the small Green Oxygen party in the May 26 election, comes from a distinguished family of politicians and is widely respected for her time as an outspoken senator. However she has only two percent of likely voter support, according to polls.
Meanwhile Colombian warplanes prepared to launch another wave of aerial bombardments "at any moment" in the vast southern Switzerland-sized formerly controlled by the FARC, a military source told AFP.