34 Soldiers Kidnapped In Colombia After Clashes With FARC Group

JAKARTA - At least 34 soldiers were kidnapped by armed civilians in the southeastern Colombian forest area after clashes that killed 11 insurgents, including a dissident faction commander of the former FARC rebel group, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

The clash occurred in rural areas of Kotamadya El Retorno, Guaviare Province in southeastern Colombia and involved a member of the Central General Staff (EMC), a group of former FARC fighters who rejected the 2016 peace agreement with the government.

Defense Minister Sanchez said the soldiers were kidnapped while they were evacuating the area, after a military operation that killed an EMC commander and 10 other rebels.

"This is an illegal and criminal act committed by people dressed in civilian clothes," Defense Minister Sanchez told reporters.

"This is kidnapping," he said.

The forest area is considered a strategic corridor for drug trafficking and is known for its vast koka plantations, the main ingredient used to produce cocaine.

Penculikan ini menyusul insiden serupa pada Bulan Juni, ketika 57 tentara dikembunyi selama dua hari di wilayah gunung di barat daya, basis lain bagi faksi dissiden FARC.

Armed groups, which self-fund through drug trafficking, illegal mining, and other crimes, remain in Colombia after a six-decade conflict that has killed more than 450,000 people, despite a peace agreement with FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group at the time.