BOGOTA—Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas, a.k.a. Jorge Briceño or “Mono Jojoy,” the top military commander of the Marxist revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, was killed by Colombian troops on Wednesday.
“The symbol of the terror in Colombia has died,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking in New York on Wednesday, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly.
“The death of ‘Mono Jojoy’ is the biggest hit that has been given to the FARC throughout its history,” Santos said.
Three bombardments to a guerrilla camp site in the southeast of Colombia were necessary in order to capture Briceño, but FARC resistance confirmed Thursday morning after identifying the body of Briceño.
Long Operation
The military operation, named “Sodome,” to capture Briceño rose out of Santos’s stand last Aug. 7 to crack down on terrorism.
After a year of intelligence operations, a task force of 6,000 military officers broke down the security of FARC’s warlord and penetrated his stronghold.
The military operation took place in La Escalera, located in the Macarena Rural Zone, and according to Rodrigo Rivera the combat between the military task force and FARC lasted more than nine hours.
The tide turned after the task force was able to infiltrate Briceño’s defenses, aided by two subordinates who defected and became informants of the Colombian army.
For four months, the informants gave information about Briceño’s exact schedule, his routes, and his whereabouts, and finally last weekend they sent a report of the tunnels and the bunker where Briceño hid.
Satellite data confirmed the intelligence, and last weekend, in Arandia, President Santos signaled an attack to the Minister of Defense, commanders of the military forces, the army and national police director.
Along with Briceño, 20 FARC subordinates were killed, and authorities await the confirmation of possible deaths of two other high-level guerillas, Carlos Antonio Loaiza and “Romaña.”
Who Was ‘Mono Jojoy’?
Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas, born in 1953, became part of a guerrilla group by age 13 and during a trip to Russia in the 1970s, his military astuteness was polished.
Always hidden in the forest of the Colombia Amazonia, Briceño had at least 60 arrest warrants and was responsible for thousands of killings. Both the government of Colombia as well as the State Department of United States offered millions of dollars in rewards for his capture.
Briceño, who was also known as “The War Machine,” was described by former abductees as cruel, without a soul, and completely cold, who imposed his will on others with imputiny.
Colombian Reactions
Colombian residents expressed their joy after the news of Briceño’s death was revealed, by writing in on their social networking pages phrases such as “homeland pride,” “congratulations to the military forces of Colombia for this amazing feat,” “proud of being Colombian,” and “FARC: R.I.P.”
The former president of Colombia, Ernesto Samper, said, “No doubt this is a huge hit against the guerilla group; we should keep thinking in peace”.
Former FARC abductee and former Colombian Sen. Luis Eladio Pérez said that “Jojoy was the person who gave the order of killing the kidnapped people in case the government of Colombia wanted to rescue us.
“The symbol of the terror in Colombia has died,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking in New York on Wednesday, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly.
“The death of ‘Mono Jojoy’ is the biggest hit that has been given to the FARC throughout its history,” Santos said.
Three bombardments to a guerrilla camp site in the southeast of Colombia were necessary in order to capture Briceño, but FARC resistance confirmed Thursday morning after identifying the body of Briceño.
Long Operation
The military operation, named “Sodome,” to capture Briceño rose out of Santos’s stand last Aug. 7 to crack down on terrorism.
After a year of intelligence operations, a task force of 6,000 military officers broke down the security of FARC’s warlord and penetrated his stronghold.
The military operation took place in La Escalera, located in the Macarena Rural Zone, and according to Rodrigo Rivera the combat between the military task force and FARC lasted more than nine hours.
The tide turned after the task force was able to infiltrate Briceño’s defenses, aided by two subordinates who defected and became informants of the Colombian army.
For four months, the informants gave information about Briceño’s exact schedule, his routes, and his whereabouts, and finally last weekend they sent a report of the tunnels and the bunker where Briceño hid.
Satellite data confirmed the intelligence, and last weekend, in Arandia, President Santos signaled an attack to the Minister of Defense, commanders of the military forces, the army and national police director.
Along with Briceño, 20 FARC subordinates were killed, and authorities await the confirmation of possible deaths of two other high-level guerillas, Carlos Antonio Loaiza and “Romaña.”
Who Was ‘Mono Jojoy’?
Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas, born in 1953, became part of a guerrilla group by age 13 and during a trip to Russia in the 1970s, his military astuteness was polished.
Always hidden in the forest of the Colombia Amazonia, Briceño had at least 60 arrest warrants and was responsible for thousands of killings. Both the government of Colombia as well as the State Department of United States offered millions of dollars in rewards for his capture.
Briceño, who was also known as “The War Machine,” was described by former abductees as cruel, without a soul, and completely cold, who imposed his will on others with imputiny.
Colombian Reactions
Colombian residents expressed their joy after the news of Briceño’s death was revealed, by writing in on their social networking pages phrases such as “homeland pride,” “congratulations to the military forces of Colombia for this amazing feat,” “proud of being Colombian,” and “FARC: R.I.P.”
The former president of Colombia, Ernesto Samper, said, “No doubt this is a huge hit against the guerilla group; we should keep thinking in peace”.
Former FARC abductee and former Colombian Sen. Luis Eladio Pérez said that “Jojoy was the person who gave the order of killing the kidnapped people in case the government of Colombia wanted to rescue us.
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