The World : Salvadoran Colonel Freed
A Salvadoran army colonel kidnaped by leftist rebels 15 months ago was freed in exchange for the government’s release of 57 political prisoners, government and rebel sources said. Col. Omar Napoleon Avalos was turned over to the Archbishop of San Salvador, Msgr. Arturo Rivera y Damas, in the northeastern village of Perquin. At the same time, authorities freed the 57 inmates from the Mariona prison in northern San Salvador. Last Thursday, the government, as a first step, agreed to let 39 wounded guerrillas leave the country.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
