Colombia's FARC guerrillas said today that one of their peace negotiators was killed in an air strike last week that has threatened to derail their talks with the government on ending the five-decade conflict.
FARC commander Pastor Alape said his comrade in arms Jairo Martinez was "among the guerrillas murdered" in a strike last Thursday on the western rebel stronghold of Cauca that killed 27 rebels.
Alape also confirmed that rebel commander Roman Ruiz, a member of the FARC's high command, was killed Sunday in another strike in the northwestern department of Choco.
Colombia's military has intensified its air and ground campaign against the FARC since the guerrillas killed 11 soldiers last month in an ambush in Cauca.
The rebels said the attack, which came amid a unilateral ceasefire they had declared in December, was a "defensive" action taken against an army siege.
But it caused a furious President Juan Manuel Santos to order the resumption of air strikes on the guerrillas, which he had suspended in recognition of their ceasefire.
In all, some 40 FARC fighters have been killed in three separate ground and air strikes since Thursday.
The Cauca strike prompted the rebels to call off their ceasefire, raising fears for the peace talks in Havana, which opened in November 2012.
The two sides resumed negotiations Monday despite the bad blood. But news of the two rebel commanders' deaths will amplify the tensions besetting the talks.
