Colombian authorities rescued 27 of 72 soldiers held captive Sunday in the country's southwest, an area controlled by guerrillas and plagued by drug cultivation, military officials said.

Colombian soldiers and police officers are often detained in areas controlled by armed groups.

The 72 soldiers had been detained in guerrilla-controlled Cauca region "in the afternoon," a military source told AFP, without giving further details.

The army later reported the "extraction" of 27 soldiers but said 45 "remain deprived of their liberty under the guerrilla regime."

"The National Army maintains a presence in the area, taking steps to restore order and ensure the return of the kidnapped personnel," it said in a statement.

The soldiers had been participating in a military operation when around 6

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