Ten guerrillas from the FARC dissidents died in a bombardment by the Colombian Military Forces in the department of Guaviare (south), while another three were captured, reported military sources.
The 13 were under the command of Miguel Botache, alias ‘Gentil Duarte’, the first guerrilla to depart from the peace agreement signed between the Government and the former FARC guerrilla in November 2016.
“In a joint operation of our Military and Police Forces, 13 members of the FARC dissidents of the criminal alias ‘Gentil Duarte’ were neutralized. Ten of them died in the development of these operations and three were captured in Calamar, Guaviare,” said the Defense Minister, Diego Molano.
The operation is one of the most important carried out in recent years against FARC dissidents, which the Government accuses of being organizations dedicated to drug trafficking.
THE LARGEST GROUP OF DISSENT
The group under the command of ‘Gentil Duarte’ is the largest front of the dissidents and, according to Molano, is responsible for the “recruitment of minors, attacks against the public force, kidnapping and illegal extraction of minerals.”
Alias ’Gentil Duarte’ has under his command different groups of dissidents that operate mainly in the departments of Arauca, Vichada, Guainía, Meta, Guaviare, Vaupés, Amazonas, Caquetá, Putumayo, Nariño, Cauca and Antioquia.
“We are on the heels of ‘Gentil Duarte’. We will not rest until we neutralize these symbols of evil,” added Molano.
The three captured were injured and were treated by combat nurses, and were later evacuated by helicopter to a medical center, the Defense Ministry detailed.
According to the authorities, among the most recent criminal acts attributed to this group “are the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the second lieutenant of the National Army Carlos Arturo Becerra in the municipality of Puerto Concordia (Meta).”
This group is also accused of “carrying out terrorist actions and crimes such as drug trafficking, illegal extraction of minerals and constraint on the civilian population residing in the departments of Caquetá, Guaviare and Meta.”
Members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) of the Attorney General’s Office were sent to the scene, who are in charge of “determining the identities, sex and ages of the personnel,” added the Ministry of Defense.