At least five dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were reportedly killed and another nine detained after leading a confrontation with the Colombian Army in the Iscuandé river, Sequihondita sector, in the Colombian department of Nariño.
The dissidents belong to the Rafael Aguilera and Carlos Patiño fronts, according to military sources reported to different media. Information also indicates that nine minors who had been forcibly recruited have been released.
Military intelligence detected the transit of two vessels through the river basin, for which reason the troops went on alert and carried out an operation to intercept them. When the guerrillas noticed the presence of the military, they opened fire and the confrontation ensued with the deadly balance.
During the operation, 27 rifles, a machine gun, two boats, a pistol and abundant ammunition and explosives were seized. Both these materials and the nine men captured were made available to the Technical Investigation Corps of the Prosecutor’s Office.
This confrontation took place after the murder of six soldiers in the municipality of Buenos Aires, in the department of Cauca, on December 6.
The dissidences that have suffered the loss of five of their members are part of the Western Coordinating Command, to whom the authorities attribute the murder of the soldiers last Tuesday. It is a structure made up of seven fronts and which brings together around 1,700 armed men under the command of Óscar Eduardo Sandoval Noscue, known as Andrés Patiño or El Mocho.
