The top military commander of the Colombian leftist rebel group FARC, Luis Suarez, alias "Mono Jojoy," has been killed, dpa quoted Colombian authorities as confirming Thursday. From New York, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos described Mono Jojoy's death in a bombing as the hardest blow ever dealt to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). For his symbolic value, Santos said, the death of Mono Jojoy is even more important that that of then FARC number two Raul Reyes, who was killed in a controversial Colombian attack on Ecuadorian soil in March 2008. Mono Jojoy, 57, a member of the FARC leadership, was killed in a mountainous area known as La Macarena, in the central Colombian province of Meta. "He was an extremely bloodthirsty man, according to the collection of books written by all the kidnapped people who have regained their freedom," said Interior Minister German Vargas Lleras. Mono Jojoy had been an active FARC member for at least 35 years and was regarded as the group's top military commander. He was killed along with an as yet unspecified number of rebels. According to media reports, at least 30 planes and 27 helicopters belonging to the Air Force, Army and Colombian police took part in the raid. "Since he was the most important commander of the military wing, this blow is internally devastating for (FARC)," Vargas Lleras said. In recent years, FARC already lost its founder and historic leader Manuel Marulanda, who died of natural causes soon after Reyes was killed. The organization has since been led by Guillermo Saenz, know by the alias "Alfonso Cano," 62. The Marxist FARC have been waging a civil war against Colombian authorities since the 1960s.
