Colombia’s armed forces on Wednesday said they have killed four FARC guerrillas in combat on the Pacific coast.
According to the military, the guerrillas were killed in a joint-operation of the Army, Navy and Air Force carried out inland of San Agustin, an island off the Pacific coast.
According to local media, the rebels were bombed after which ground troops entered the area.
The fatalities allegedly belonged to the FARC’s Libardo Garcia mobile column, a rebel fighting unit active in that area.
“This blow represents an important result for the departments of Cauca and Choco as this structure is held responsible for attacks, sabotage, and the burning of vehicles on the Cali-Buenaventura highway,” newspaper El Espectador quoted military sources as saying.
Following the bombing, soldiers found nine rifles, one handgun and “an abundance” of ammunition.
The FARC is currently negotiating peace with the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos. The government has refused FARC proposals for a ceasefire while talks are ongoing amid fears the rebels — who have been decimated in size and pushed to the periphery of Colombia’s national territory over the past ten years — may use diminished military pressure to regroup.
