Three alleged guerrillas from rebel group ELN are killed in combat with Colombian army forces in the northern department of Bolivar.
According to newspaper El Espectador, a leader of the ELN, Darinel Atencia Bustos known as “Jairito,” was possibly one of the guerrillas killed during the operation that took place early Thursday morning.
One unnamed guerrilla subsequently surrendered after the deaths of his ELN comrades in a rural area near the town of San Pablo, located in the very south of Bolivar.
After the ELN confrontation and surrender, General Juan Pablo Amaya said that “this blow [to ELN] brings relief to palm croppers, farmers, merchants and miners in the region, affected by extortion and intimidating threats on an ongoing basis by this terrorist organization under the command of alias ‘Jairito’.”
The ELN are Colombia’s second largest left wing guerrilla group and have been operating in the country since the 1960’s.
