Colombia military kills 14 FARC rebels in Arauca

Fourteen rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been killed during an aerial and a ground attack on a rebel camp in the northeastern state of Arauca.

According to a statement issued by the Colombian army, the operation was conducted in the northern town of Tame, near the border with Venezuela.

The statement added that a helicopter was hit by rebel fire during the operation but was not brought down.

Moreover, the military said that in addition to the fourteen dead rebels, whose bodies were recovered after the fighting, one rebel was wounded and another surrendered.

The government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has been holding peace talks with the rebel group since November 2012 in Cuba.

The two sides have agreed upon the matter of land reform and rural development, while four issues, including the FARC’s participation in politics, an end to alleged drug trafficking, turning over arms, and compensating the victims of the insurgency, remained unsolved.

While the peace talks have been under way in the Cuban capital, Havana, for over 14 months, Colombian officials have vowed to keep up military pressure on the rebel group until a comprehensive peace deal is achieved.

FARC is Latin America’s oldest insurgent group and has been fighting the government since 1964.

Bogota estimates that the 50-year war between the two sides has killed about 220,000 people. More than 4.5 million people are also reported to have been displaced due to the fighting.