Colombia Army General Ruben Dario Alzate was captured by FARC guerrillas on Sunday, after walking straight into a FARC stronghold ignoring all security protocols.
MORE: Colombia Peace Talks Guarantors Announce FARC Will Release General, 4 Other Captives
The 55-year-old general was born near Cali in the western state of Valle del Cauca.
Alzate graduated from the US Army War College and Command and General Staff College in Kansas, and is about to complete his third year as brigadier general. In 2011, he was promoted as “one of the best officers in the force,” according to reports by El Tiempo newspaper.
In his 31 years of military service he has remained at the forefront of strategic operations to combat kidnapping and extortion in the northwestern Antioquia state.
In January 2014, Santos assigned Alzate to a special task force to combat criminal groups in Choco and Antioquia, where neo-paramilitaries have been clashing with guerrillas in a battle for control over mobilization routes, arms and drug trafficking, and extortion.
MORE: Colombia’s neo-paramilitaries taking over former guerrilla strongholds: NGO
Since August, Alzate had been working with local authorities on a Comprehensive Security Plan of the Department of Choco. Alzate and the governor were expected to launch a security operation against guerrilla activity, illegal mining, and narcotrafficking in the state.
The general’s performance in the armed forces has earned him three awards and seven medals.
Sources
- ¿Quién es el general Rubén Darío Alzate Mora? (El Tiempo)
- Comunicado de Prensa – Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (Defense Ministry website)
