The Colombian army said Wednesday that five FARC guerrillas have been killed in a military operation in northeastern Colombia.
During the operation, which took place in a rural area of the state of Arauca, the army bombed the the FARC’s 28th camp by aircraft.
The FARC unit leader, Arnulfo Gonzalez, is allegedly among the five dead guerrillas.
Gonzalez, accused of crimes of terrorism, extortion, homicide and kidnapping, was among the top ten most wanted guerrillas by authorities in the state of Boyaca, who offered a $250,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.
The guerrilla “was responsible for the extortion of merchants, ranchers and oil companies in the states of Arauca and Casanare,” Mexican news agency Notimex quoted army officials as saying.
The operation came after the FARC declared a 30-day unilateral ceasefire, which went into effect Sunday.
President Juan Manuel Santos has made it clear that the government will not participate in a bilateral ceasefire until the peace negotiations in Havana, Cuba, have been finalized.