Colombian armed forces have killed prominent FARC member “El Abuelo,” the guerrilla commander in charge of the security of the rebel group’s supreme commander “Alfonso Cano,” the Colombian army confirmed Saturday.
According to army spokesman Col. Fernando Avila, Alirio Rojas Bocanegra, alias El Abuelo (The Grandpa), commanded all security rings formed to protect Cano who is suspected to be located in the mountainous south of the Tolima department. The top guerrilla also was said to command guerrilla fronts in the Huila and Cundinamarca departments and in the coffee region.
Special forces were tailing the FARC commander for months and involved in combat with Avila’s fighters for two days before claiming the commander’s death. According to local media, several computers and communication equipment were seized in the operation.
Rojas Bocanegra was the alleged replacement of Jeronimo Galeano, who was killed in March.