Death of Cano, who took over leadership of the rebels after their founder died in 2008, is a strategic victory for President Juan Manuel Santos.
By REUTERSColombia's Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon(photo credit: Reuters)
BOGOTA - Colombian forces killed the FARC rebel leader Alfonso Cano in combat, delivering another serious blow to Latin America's longest guerrilla insurgency, the defense ministry said on Friday.The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has been battered by a US-backed military campaign started in 2002 and the waning insurgency has lost several key commanders in the last four years.RELATED:Massive cocaine bust in Colombia
The death of Cano, who took over leadership of the rebels after their founder died in 2008, is a strategic victory for President Juan Manuel Santos. He came to office last year promising to keep up a hardline stance against the guerrillas.Cano's death follows the killing late last year of top FARC military commander Mono Jojoy in a bombardment and assault on his camp.The strike against Cano underscores how Colombia's military can now attack rebel leaders deep in mountains and jungles.While unlikely to bring a swift end to nearly five decades of war, Cano's death will further damage the rebel group's ability to regroup and coordinate high-profile attacks.Once a powerful force controlling large swaths of Colombia, the FARC is now at its weakest in decades. Violence, bombings and kidnappings from the conflict have eased sharply.
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