Colombia’s army killed 15 alleged guerrillas in the southwest of the country, W Radio reported on Thursday.
According to the radio station, the alleged FARC dissidents were killed in combat in Argelia, a municipality in the Cauca province.
If confirmed, the combat would have resulted in the biggest blow against guerrilla groups that were formed by former FARC guerrillas since President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022.
Argelia has seen fierce fighting between the National Army and Segunda Marquetalia, a guerrilla group founded by former FARC commander “Ivan Marquez,” in the past weeks.
Guerrilla group EMC, which was founded in 2016, also has a strong presence in Cauca.
In fact, attacks on a Cauca indigenous community spurred Petro to suspend a ceasefire between the military and the EMC, which ended peace talks between that group and the government.
The government has been holding preliminary peace talks with Segunda Marquetalia, but has yet to declare a ceasefire to facilitate formal negotiations.