2003 french directorate general for external security personnel a 07 13
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2003 23 years ago Selected Events July 13 4 sources

French Directorate General for External Security personnel aborted an operation to rescue Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt from FARC guerrillas, resulting in a political scandal.

On July 13, in the year 2003, French Directorate General for External Security personnel aborted an operation to rescue Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt from FARC guerrillas, resulting in a political scandal. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of July 13, one of 385 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Directorate General for External Security is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 27 November 1943. The DGSE safeguards French national security through intelligence gathering and conducting paramilitary and counterintelligence operations abroad, as well as economic espionage. The service is currently headquartered in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, but construction has begun on a new headquarters at Fort Neuf de Vincennes, in Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 13, 2003 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 3 July 2026.

On This Date in History 385

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 13 Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian general and politician, 7th & 15th President of Nigeria (born 1942)
Historical Events 2024 Jul 13 Former president of the United States Donald Trump is injured in an assassination attempt while speaking at an…
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Shannen Doherty, American actress (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Ruth Hesse, German opera singer (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Richard Simmons, American fitness personality and public figure (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Chino Trinidad, Filipino sports journalist and executive (born 1967)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Thomas Matthew Crooks, American student, known for attempting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump (born…
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 13 Naomi Pomeroy, American chef and restaurateur (born 1974)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 13 Grant Imahara, American electrical engineer, roboticist, and television host (born 1970)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 13 Zindzi Mandela, South African politician, diplomat, and third daughter of Nelson Mandela (born 1960)
Selected Events 2020 Jul 13 After a five day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera was recovered from Lake Piru, confirming…
Notable Deaths 2017 Jul 13 Liu Xiaobo, Chinese literary critic, human rights activist (born 1955)
Historical Events 2016 Jul 13 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron resigns, and is succeeded by Theresa May.
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 13 Philipp Mißfelder, German historian and politician (born 1979)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 13 Martin Litchfield West, English scholar, author, and academic (born 1927)
Historical Events 2014 Jul 13 Germany wins the FIFA World Cup, defeating Argentina in the final 1–0 after extra time.
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 13 Thomas Berger, American author and playwright (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 13 Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist, author, and academic (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 13 Nadine Gordimer, South African novelist, short story writer, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 13 Jeff Leiding, American football player (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 13 Lorin Maazel, French-American violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1930)
Selected Events 2014 Jul 13 Germany won the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina, with Mario Götze scoring the game's only goal (pictured) in…
Historical Events 2013 Jul 13 Typhoon Soulik kills at least nine people and affects more than 160 million in East China and Taiwan.
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Leonard Garment, American lawyer and public servant, 14th White House Counsel (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Henri Julien, French race car driver (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (born 1982)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Ottavio Quattrocchi, Italian businessman (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Vernon B. Romney, American lawyer and politician, 14th Attorney General of Utah (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 13 Marc Simont, French-American author and illustrator (born 1915)
Selected Events 2013 Jul 13 Typhoon Soulik (pictured) made landfall in East China and Taiwan, killing at least 20 people.
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 13 Warren Jabali, American basketball player (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 13 Jerzy Kulej, Polish boxer and politician (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 13 Richard D. Zanuck, American film producer (born 1934)
Historical Events 2011 Jul 13 Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130.
Historical Events 2011 Jul 13 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999 is adopted, which admits South Sudan to member status of United Nations.
Historical Events 2011 Jul 13 Noar Linhas Aéreas Flight 4896 crashes in Boa Viagem, Recife, killing all 16 people on board.
Notable Deaths 2011 Jul 13 Allan Jeans, Australian footballer and coach (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 13 Manohari Singh, Indian saxophonist and composer (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 13 George Steinbrenner, American businessman (born 1930)
Historical Events 2008 Jul 13 Battle of Wanat begins when Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas attack US Army and Afghan National Army troops in…
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 13 Bronisław Geremek, Polish historian and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1932)
Notable Births 2007 Jul 13 Lamine Yamal, Spanish footballer
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 13 Michael Reardon, American mountaineer (born 1965)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 13 Red Buttons, American actor (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 13 Robert E. Ogren, American zoologist (born 1922)
Notable Births 2004 Jul 13 Nihal Sarin, Indian Chess Grandmaster
Historical Events 2003 Jul 13 French DGSE personnel abort an operation to rescue Íngrid Betancourt from FARC rebels in Colombia, causing a political…
Notable Births 2003 Jul 13 Wyatt Oleff, American actor
Notable Births 2003 Jul 13 Mason Teague, Australian rugby league player
Notable Deaths 2003 Jul 13 Compay Segundo, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1907)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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