Clashes kill 7 guerrillas in Colombia

BOGOTA: At least seven FARC militants were killed in clashes in a rural area of southwest Colombia, the military said Sunday.

The military also seized six rifles, two pistols, explosives, grenades and weapons suppliers after the fighting Saturday in Narino province, near the border with Ecuador, General Leonardo Barrero said.

The FARC -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- is the country’s largest leftist guerrilla group, and the insurgency it has waged since 1964 is the oldest in Latin America.

Since November, the guerrillas have been engaged in peace talks with the government, though clashes have continued in the absence of a ceasefire agreement. — AFP