Columbia ? Colombia’s badly battered FARC rebels freed three police officers and a soldier held hostage for more than a year, handing them over to the International Red Cross on Sunday in the country’s southern jungles.

A Brazilian military helicopter, emblazoned with the Red Cross insignia, retrieved the four hostages and flew them to a provincial airport in Colombia’s eastern plains where they were met by relatives and peace activists with hugs and white daisies.

But their handover was marred by accusations that Colombia’s military interfered. A reporter who was on the chopper, Jorge Enrique Botero, said the military hounded and delayed the mission by more than two hours with numerous flyovers.