Rebel group FARC on Monday said that there may be truth to claims by a former vice president that 33 soldiers died in combat with the guerrilla group, despite denials from the Colombian government and army.
In a communication issued on Monday through online news service ANNCOL, the FARC said that former Vice President Francisco Santos may have been accurate when he said that 33 soldiers were killed in combat with the rebel group. However, the guerrilla communication stated that the combat occurred in the southwest Cauca department, in the municipality of Buenos Aires, and not in Putumayo department, as Santos had claimed.
BACKGROUND: FARC killed 33 soldiers in southern Colombia: Former VP
Furthermore, the combat the FARC referred to occurred on April 16, while the alleged battle Santos referenced supposedly took place four days prior, on April 12. Additionally, the guerrillas could not confirm with any certainty the exact number of soldiers killed in combat.
The FARC concluded the communication by saying that if there were any correlation between the original claims by Santos and the battle which broke out in Cauca, it would not be the first time that “the ministry of defense and military command have lied to the country.”
Santos’ original claims were vehemently denied by both the ministry of defense and the armed forces.
Sources
- Farc revive dudas sobre bajas del Ejército en combate (Caracol Radio)