At least 9 FARC Guerrillas Killed, 4 Captured During Army Raid in Colombia

MOSCOW, December 16 (Sputnik) — Nine guerrillas from the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were killed and four captured during clashes with military forces and police in the southeastern region of the country on Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Tuesday.

"Military forces and police in Meta take down 9 members of fronts 7 and 27 of the FARC and capture 4. Offensive continues. Let's not drop our guard," Santos wrote on his Twitter account.

The fight between Colombian forces and the FARC is happening despite peace talks which resumed in Havana, Cuba a week ago. The Colombian government launched talks in Cuba to reach a peace deal with FARC rebels back in 2012. The negotiations were interrupted after the kidnapping of Colombian army general Ruben Dario Alzate and his two companions on November 16. They were released on November 30.

The civil war in Colombia has claimed more than 220,000 lives since 1958, according to an official report by the government-created commission, the National Centre of Historical Memory, released in 2013. The peace talks have achieved a number of deals but both sides could not agree on vital issues such as disarmament so far.

The largest rebel group in Colombia, the FARC is considered a terrorist group by the national government, as well as the United States, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the European Union. FARC guerrillas are reportedly engaged in bombing, kidnapping, extortion, murders, drug trade and other illegal activities.