Alleged rebel leader killed in Colombia as president targets armed groups - BBC News

The military operation against Hernando Forero Mosquera was carried out just days after Colombia's new president was sworn in.

Image source, Twitter/@ABDELAESPRIELLAImage caption, Hernando Forero Mosquera, aka "El ruso", is accused of leading a dissident rebel faction

A man suspected of leading a dissident faction of a left-wing rebel group has been killed in a military operation in central Colombia, officials say.

The operation forms part of a crackdown on illegal armed groups ordered by Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, who was sworn in on Friday.

He said the killing by the security forces of Hernando Forero Mosquera and five other alleged members of armed groups on the weekend sent "a clear and powerful message to all bandits that there is nowhere for them to hide".

During his campaign for the presidency, de la Espriella said he would target "narco-terrorism" relentlessly, including by launching air strikes.