Bogotá, Dec 6 (AFP/APP): At least six Colombian soldiers died Tuesday in clashes with holdout fighters from the former rebel group FARC, the army said.
It was the worst attack by the renegade FARC fighters since they said in September they were willing to negotiate laying down their weapons.
Army forces in a rural area of southwest Cauca department were attacked with grenades, improvised explosive devices and gunfire, the army said.
President Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftist leader, who is seeking peace with all remaining guerrilla forces, said the soldiers killed in the attack were 18 to 20 years old.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were once the most fearsome rebel army in Latin America. The group signed a peace accord with the government in 2016 to end more than half a decade of conflict.
But some FARC members rejected that accord and have continued to battle government forces. These holdout fighters in turn are divided into various factions.
They total about 5,200 rebels, according to the Indepaz think tank.
FARC itself became a political party that is guaranteed a small number of seats in Congress.
Since Petro took power in August, he and aides have met with leaders of the two main factions of FARC dissidents with an eye to setting up peace talks.
One of these factions, Frente Primero, or First Front, which is the biggest holdout group, said in September it would reduce attacks against government forces to work toward a ceasefire and peace.
This faction includes a unit that the army blamed for Tuesday’s attacks.
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