Dozens of Colombia Rebels Die in Aerial Attack, Military Says
BOGOTA, Colombia — Government warplanes strafed trucks carrying leftist rebels, killing dozens of members of a guerrilla column in Colombia’s southern jungles, the military said Friday.
Such heavy rebel casualties for the 30,000-strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, would be fresh evidence of the toll that government air power is taking on Colombia’s largest guerrilla group.
Gen. Fernando Tapias, head of Colombia’s joint chief of staff, said security forces were pursuing the 1,000-member unit of the FARC near the border between Meta and Guaviare areas.
At a news conference, the military showed videos taken from the warplanes during the fighting this week. Rebels were seen scurrying away from trucks under fire and scrambling into the low brush. Tapias said 17 trucks were destroyed Thursday and four earlier in the week.
“Based on air force estimates, we believe the number [of dead guerrillas] could be more than 50,” Tapias said.
Attempts to reach the FARC for comment were not immediately successful.
Washington has provided the military with surveillance technology and combat helicopters as part of a $1.3-billion counter-narcotics program.
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