Nearly 40 guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group were killed by Colombian armed forces in the last several hours, the nation’s defense minister told reporters today.
The attack is considered an act of retaliation after 11 soldiers were killed on Saturday in a FARC ambush. Reports of the exact number of fatalities vary by news outlet, with recent accounts quoting as many as 39 dead and 12 captured.
Associated Press sources said a bombing was responsible for the dozens of casualties in the early hours Wednesday morning.
Colombian officials consider the actions a major victory in a conflict that has spanned for decades with the rebel group. “Great blow to the FARC in Arauca, where our soldiers were killed,” announced president Juan Manuel Santos earlier on his Twitter account. “Congratulations to our forces.”
“At one o’clock (local time) we conducted a transaction with the Air Force and a descent of troops that resulted in 39 dead and three wounded,” said an area general to local news. There are estimated to be as many as 700 guerrillas in Colombia’s northeastern Aracua, and 9,000 in the nation as a whole, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Defense minister Juan Carlos Pinzón said one of the top leaders of FARC, Juan Vicente Carvajal, alias “Misael Rodríguez,” was among those captured in northern Arauca. According to Pinzón, a special task force had been created in December specifically for the area, and had since been planning various operations.
Pinzón said he hopes the attack sends a message to FARC guerrilleros, “especially to the younger ones that are out there”. The minister has also announced a “new call for the demobilisation” of the group.
