Venezuela freed a group of Colombian soldiers on Thursday who had been detained while traveling unarmed and off-duty across Venezuelan territory, the Colombian Embassy said. The 11 Colombians were arrested Sunday by Venezuelan troops while crossing the southwest corner of Venezuela in taxis. They were released to Colombian consular officers at a military base at Guasdualito in Venezuela's Apure state, the Colombian embassy in Caracas said in a statement. Venezuelan officials had originally said nine Colombians were being held. Venezuela, which complains that Colombia does not do enough to police the border, said Colombian soldiers crossed the border without authorization. Killings, kidnappings and drug-trafficking are rife along the rugged 1,400-mile (2,200-km) border. Colombia said the soldiers were using using Venezuelan territory as a safe travel corridor to avoid left-wing guerrillas on the Colombian side of the border. The four-decade-old war waged by the Marxist rebels against successive Colombian governments has sometimes spilled over into Venezuela and strained ties. --More 0059 Local Time 2159 GMT
