Bogota, Colombia ? An American photographer and a British reporter on assignment for the Los Angeles Times were kidnapped, Colombian rebels said.

Scott Dalton, a native of Conroe, Texas, and Ruth Morris, a British national, have been “retained” by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the guerrilla group said in a statement Thursday on a clandestine rebel radio station.

The two were seized Tuesday at a rebel roadblock in Arauca state, one of the most violent regions of Colombia. They were led away from their taxi with hoods on their heads but had been told they were being taken for an encounter with a rebel commander, their driver, Madiel Ariza, told The Associated Press.

Ariza said the rebels told him to leave their encampment the following day, and that the ELN would turn over the journalists to the Red Cross within a day or two. But the ELN statement said the journalists were being held.

“In due time, they will be freed, when the political and military conditions permit,” the statement said.

The Los Angeles Times said the pair were working for the newspaper.

“The situation is very fluid, and our primary concern is for Ruth and Scott’s safety,” the paper said in a statement.

The kidnapping comes as the United States is beefing up military aid to the Colombian government, which has been battling the ELN and a larger rebel group for 38 years.

Last week, dozens of U.S. special forces trainers arrived in Arauca to train Colombian troops to battle the guerrillas. The Colombian soldiers will be tasked with protecting an oil pipeline in Arauca that has been sabotaged by the rebels numerous times.

The kidnapping occurred on a road south of the Colombian town of Saravena, 205 miles northeast of Bogota. Several dozen of the U.S. special forces are to be stationed at an army base in Saravena, near the Venezuelan border.

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota said it was following the situation.