Ambush

The FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] wants the US to intervene in Colombia, says Carlos Velasquez, a Colombian military strategist.

If the US embarks on a commando operation in the country it would provoke strong Anti-American feelings that could be leveraged by the rebels. And if the commando operation was to fail, it would be a double victory for the FARC. Therefore: [the FARC ] "might be considering as part of its strategy, to goad the United States into becoming directly involved with its troops, in order to take a political breather", argues Velasquez.

The FARC’s bait is three US agents that they hold since the downing of a small plane on a drug operation in 2003.

Velasquez also makes a couple of interesting points:

Washington would not need authorization from Congress to order the rescue.

There are approximately 400 US soldiers in Colombia, who provide technical and military support for the Colombian troops who are fighting the insurgents, but they remain distant from direct combat operations.