Colombia’s president says two key leaders of National Liberation Army killed– abcnews.com

BOGOTA — At least 10 members of Colombia’s National Liberation Army, including two key leaders, were killed in a recent military attack, President Abelardo de la Espriella announced Sunday.

He described the attack as “the hardest blow” to hit the guerrilla group in the last eight years.

The operation took place Thursday in a rural area of El Tambo, in the Cauca department of Colombia’s Pacific region.

Individuals known as “Marcos Pacífico” and “Ochenta” (or “Murillo”) — both senior leaders within the “José María Becerra” bloc of the group’s southwestern front — were killed during the operation. De la Espriella said their deaths have disrupted their “chain of command … and their ability to direct criminal activities.”

The president accused “Marcos Pacífico” of killing 62 people, recruiting minors and displacing some 500 people in his 24-year history with the guerrilla group. His influence extended across units in the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Nariño, de la Espriella added.

The president also accused him of masterminding “the illegal unrest that fueled urban terrorism in 2019 and 2021.”