Former FARC leader Ivan Mordisco killed in Colombia

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Colombian left-wing rebel commander known as Ivan Mordisco, a prominent leader of the former FARC guerrilla group, was killed in an operation by the military July 9, Defense Minister Diego Molano said Friday.

“Operation Jupiter against alias Ivan Mordisco brings down the last major FARC leader and puts the final blow to the dissidents,” Molano wrote on Twitter.

Nestor Gregorio Vera Fernandez was one of the most important Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) commanders, who rejected the 2016 peace deal with the government.

At least 10 people were killed in the Jupiter operation that bombed a camp in the southern Caqueta region before 300 members of the army entered and fought the residual guerrilla group.

Authorities said hours after the fight, a dissident commando entered the area, took Mordisco’s body and other members of the criminal organization and buried them.

The army seized two long-range weapons, six short-range weapons, ammunition and grenades during the operation. They also found two GPS units, a radio base, a drone, two computers and seven cell phones, among other items.

Among those reported killed was a woman who was said to be Mordisco’s romantic partner. According to intelligence reports, Mordisco led at least 400 people.

He joined the FARC group in the late 1990s, where he was a sniper and explosives expert. Mordisco is one of Colombia's most wanted -- for recruiting men and women to help swell the criminal ranks and protect illegal cocaine crops that are grown in the territory.

Mordisco was the first FARC leader to oppose the peace process and refuse to lay down his arms.

In 2016, he sent a letter to the FARC negotiating team in Cuba, saying that his front would not demobilize and inviting all guerrilla members who did not agree with the peace process to "continue the insurgent struggle."