Councilman murdered by man on horse

Colombian authorities say a gunman on horseback killed a town councilman and wounded an 11-year-old boy in the country’s southeast.

The president of the national councilman’s federation, Fabior Estrada, says the slain politician, 41-year-old German Herrera, was the president of the town council in El Castillo in the Meta department and a father of four.

Authorities are offering a US$25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the gunman.

Estrada says Herrera had been threatened by leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who are active in the area.

According to the federation, nine town councilmen have been killed in Colombia this year, compared to 13 in all of 2008. (AP)