Colombia's guerrilla group frees two TV reporters

Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group on Saturday released two TV reporters it seized earlier this week when they entered rebel-held territory in search of a previous detention victim.

Diego D'Pablos and cameraman Carlos Melo, who work for Colombia's RCN TV, "returned safe and sound to freedom," the news network said on its website.

After being held for five days, the men were released around Saturday midnight near Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander department, where they had been seized "while reporting on the detention of Salud Hernandez," RCN said.

Hernandez, a reporter for Spanish newspaper El Mundo and columnist for various dailies, was released earlier Friday. She said she had gone to the area to cover the ongoing conflict between the government and rebel groups.

In a message directed at the ELN, D'Pablos said: "Don't kidnap anybody again, don't detain anybody again. This is a very nice country and there's no reason why we should experience such situations."

The reporter said they were "treated well," but that being held in the jungle away from his family "was very tough."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said at a press conference he would bolster security and social programs in the area where the reporters were taken.

"We are going to increase the measures needed to strengthen social projects and security with the help of the government of Norte de Santander, the municipal governments and the ministers of Agriculture and the Interior," RCN reported Santos as saying.

The ELN is Colombia's second-largest insurgent group. Endi