Colombian officials briefed Republican Sen. John McCain on the eve of the dramatic rescue mission that freed 15 Americans and Colombians from years as hostages of a leftist rebel group, the presidential candidate said in a statement Wednesday.

The McCain campaign issued the statement soon after the news broke that the jungle rescue mission freed three U.S. defense contractors, a former Colombian vice presidential candidate and 11 other long-held hostages of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a rebel group.

The Arizona senator and former Vietnam era POW had left a visit to Cartagena and was en route to Mexico City Wednesday.

"Last night, President [Alvaro] Uribe and the Defense Minister did brief us that the operation was going to take place today,'' McCain's statement said.

He had traveled to Colombia with Sens. Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut, and South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham.

Moreover, he added that he spoke to Uribe after the mission as well and the Colombian president "told me some of the details of the dramatic rescue of the people who were held hostage.''

He congratulated Uribe, the Colombian military and "the nation of Colombia'' for what he called "great news. Now we must renew our efforts to free all of the other innocent people held hostage.''

At the Pentagon's Southern Command in Miami, Army Col. Bill Costello, declined to comment on what role, if any, the U.S. military had in the rescue.

"This was a Colombian operation,'' said Costello, the Southcom spokesman. "We have had a great relationship with the Colombian military for a number of years. But today's success was a Colombian success.''

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