The Colombian Army killed a FARC leader in a clash in the country’s western Caldas department, reported local media Monday.
The alleged guerrilla was believed to be the second-in-command of the group’s 9th Front that operates in the central-western region.
The army said a man whose facial features corresponded to alias “Elicier” or “El Diablo,” was killed during combat between security forces and the FARC in the municipality of Samana, Caldas, some 60 miles southeast of Colombia’s second largest city Medellin.
The rebel, whose real name was Gabriel Arcangel Galvis Montoya, was wanted by authorities for terrorism, rebellion and homicide. The army said he had spent a total of 16 years with the insurgency.
The Colombian government claimed it dismantled the FARC’s 9th Front in 2008. However, Nuevo Arco Iris, a Colombian NGO covering the armed conflict, said earlier in 2012 the front is still active in the limits between the Caldas and Antioquia departments.