A top FARC commander was "apparently" killed Saturday in a military operation against the leftist rebel group in southern Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos said.
Jose Benito Cabrera, also known as Fabian Ramirez — one of seven top leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — was thought to have been killed in the early morning raid on a rebel camp in Meta department, Santos told reporters.
"I say apparently because it is not confirmed," he said, adding that Colombian troops killed up to five rebels in the operation, and recovered equipment and other possessions including a computer belonging to Cabrera.
The leader, 47, took center stage in the failed 1998-2002 peace talks, and has since commanded the FARC's operations in the south of the country. He is accused of involvement in the killing of more than 50 Colombia troops.
The FARC, Latin America's oldest and largest insurgency, has been trying for 40 years to overthrow the Colombian government. Santos, in office since August, has vowed to redouble efforts to bring the group to heel.
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