Colombia military kills 13 FARC members
This Dec. 31, 2004 photo shows police officers escorting the leader of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, ‘Simon Trinidad’ (second from left) at a Colombian military airport in Bogota. FARC leaders have named Trinidad, whose given name is Ricardo Palmera, as one of three delegates they want to attend peace talks with the government on Oct. 8, 2012, in Norway.
At least 13 members of the Colombian rebel group FARC were killed in north-western Colombia in an air-force raid.
According to the Voice of Russia, the Colombian army said it wiped out an entire FARC camp, while military operations continued in parallel with peace talks between the rebels and the government, which were initially held in Cuba at the end of November. The next phase of talks is scheduled to start in two weeks.
More from GlobalPost: FARC rebels declare unilateral ceasefire as peace talks open in Cuba
The death toll from the attack on the FARC camp is expected to climb, since the unit was home to up to 20 people, reported PressTV. The rebels had previously announced a two-month ceasefire in order for the peace talks to start, saying: "The leadership has ordered that all military operations against government forces come to a halt."
At the time, the government refused to accept the truce, and President Juan Manuel Santos said in previous negotiations that FARC members had used the demilitarized zone to regroup and rearm.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?