On Saturday, March 7, the Colombian Army seized at least four tons of explosives from rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Barrels containing explosives were discovered and confiscated during a military operation in Restrepo, southern Colombia. This is proof that the FARC, once a revolutionary group turned terrorist and drug trader, continues to operate as a strong group.

General Justo Eliseo Pena, commander of the Third Army Division, said that the substance is “R-1″ used to develop special devices. The massive volume of explosives was transported and abandoned by the FARC in the wooded and mountainous area of Valle del Cauca. Informants and intelligence activities led the army to the huge cache. The explosives could have arrived at the port of Buenaventura smuggled from abroad, according to the military.

The substance was being transported in nine drums that were abandoned by the bandits who are apparently members of the FARC’s Libardo Garcia gang that acts in the region. There have been no arrests so far but soldiers continue their operations in the region of Valle del Cauca.

The discovery of the new cache of explosives occurred just a few hours after five soldiers were killed and eight more were wounded in a minefield explosion in the rural area of Vista Hermosa. The exact site of the explosion was Caño Cabra, an area considered as ‘the strategic heart of the FARC.’

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Via BBC