Alleged rebel leader killed in Colombia as president targets armed groups

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.

Military intelligence officers said that Forero led a group known as Frente 28, which is one of the many dissident factions to have sprung forth from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

The Farc, Colombia's largest left-wing rebel group , signed a peace deal with the government in 2016 but some of its members did not agree to the terms of the deal and refused to lay down their arms.

These dissidents groups, which are now mainly involved in cocaine trafficking and illegal mining, are among the main driving forces behind the resurgence in violence in the country .

De la Espriella said he would take a radically different approach to defeating criminal groups in the country than his predecessor in office, Gustavo Petro.