Via Reuters: Colombia says troops kill local rebel commander
Colombian troops killed a FARC rebel commander accused of ordering extortion and bombings around Bogota, including small blasts at Carrefour supermarkets and Blockbuster stores, authorities said on Monday.The death of Jose de Jesus Guzman, alias “Gaitan”, during weekend combat was the latest strike against the weakened Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, Latin America’s oldest left-wing insurgency.
Guzman, a 26-year FARC veteran, was recently entrusted with reorganizing the rebels’ urban militias and had been an ally of top FARC commander “Mono Jojoy”, the presidential office said.
The story notes that the FARC has been diminished from a estimated high of 17,000 troops to between 7,000 and 10,000. This is, no doubt, a significant diminution of the FARC’s capabilities and there is also no doubt that a number of key members of the group’s leadership have perished. However, I would still make a cautionary note that historically speaking, 7,000-10,000 is still on the higher end of the FARC’s size, which was for decades more in the 3,500-5,000 range.
So, on the one hand, there have been any number (more than anyone could have predicted) serious strikes at the FARC in the last year-plus. On the other, one does have to recognize that a diminution from 17,000 down to even 7,000 is not a death knell, as least if we look at the group’s 40+ year existence.
March 6th, 2025 at 9:13 am
One less dirty child and woman murdering terrorist leader to harm anymore inocent persons he has paid the price and liberals are crying big fat tears