Colombia Army: Six FARC Guerrillas Killed, 8 Captured
Colombia's army said it killed six FARC rebels and captured eight on Tuesday in a fierce and prolonged clash that came against the backdrop of ongoing peace talks.
The incident took place in Tumaco, southern Colombia, in Narino department, the army reported.
"Pegasus Task Force troops killed in combat six guerrillas," an army statement said.
A military source told Agence France Presse the fighting dragged on for 24 hours.
Meanwhile authorities blamed the FARC on a strike on the Pan-American highway Tuesday between Cali and Popayan.
The FARC, a leftist guerrilla group, has been at war with the state since 1964. Considered Latin America's longest-running insurgency, the fighting has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced 4.5 million.
The Marxist rebels have been in peace talks with President Juan Manuel Santos' government for more than a year but there has been no ceasefire agreement.
Santos, who is seeking re-election in the presidential election May 25, said Saturday that military offensives against the FARC would continue "until the time we get these (peace) agreements."
"We can't condemn further generations of Colombians to a never-ending and pointless war," Santos recently said in an exclusive interview with AFP.
Source: Agence France Presse
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