In Colombia, the suspected leader of the FARC dissidents was killed during an operation
Hernando Forero Mosquera, whom officials suspected of leading a dissident group of leftist rebels, was killed during a military operation in central Colombia, according to BBC News.
According to military intelligence, Forero, also known as El Russo (“The Russian”), led the Frente 28 group. It is one of the dissident groups that emerged after the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Some FARC members did not agree with the terms of the agreement and refused to lay down their arms.
Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espiella, who was sworn in on Friday, stated that security forces killed Forero and five other suspected members of armed groups during the operation. According to him, three suspected members of Frente 28 were killed during an operation in a rural area of the Meta department, and two suspected members of the “Gulf Clan” group were killed during a separate operation in the Antioquia department.
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During his presidential campaign, de la Esprieylla promised to crack down hard on “narco-terrorism,” including through the use of airstrikes. The very next day after his inauguration, a car bomb exploded near a toll booth in the department of Cauca, injuring two security guards. In the department of Cesar, a police officer was killed by an explosive device dropped from a drone.
On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced its intention to provide the de la Esprielia administration with $1 billion in security assistance. Colombia was also admitted to the U.S.-led “Shield of the Americas” coalition, whose members will cooperate in combating drug trafficking and transnational crime.
