Following a Colombian armed forces bombardment on Tuesday morning, soldiers began an offensive in the south of the Tolima department against the FARC's 21st Front, which is thought to be led by the guerrillas' supreme commander, "Alfonso Cano."
According to the army, heavy fighting was still continuing at the end of the afternoon. The assault's aim was to weaken or break the security ring around the FARC's central command and its leader "Cano."
The offensive follows the discovery of a number of camps where the army thinks top guerrilla leaders may be hiding.
The area where the fighting is taking place is remote, at an altitude of 13,000 feet, and far from civilization.
The authorities have long suspected that "Cano" and other prominent members of the FARC are using the deserted south Tolima mountains as their center of operations.
The army claims to have killed three members of the personal security ring of "Alfonso Cano."
