BOGOTA: Colombia’s ELN rebels killed two civilian truck drivers in the country’s northeast in a “terrorist act” on Thursday, the military said hours after the government suspended peace talks over an ELN kidnapping.
“It is simply an act of terrorism against two civilian trucks traveling on the roads of Arauca, which were set on fire and the drivers killed by members of the ELN,” Colonel Miguel Angel Rodriguez — commander of a task force that operates on the border with Venezuela — told AFP, speaking about the region where the incident took place.
The ELN fighters ambushed the empty trucks between 5:00 and 5:30 pm local (2200-2230 GMT), Rodriguez said.
Troops later moved into area, one of Colombia’s biggest oil producing regions, where the ELN has long maintained a presence, military sources said.
Earlier on Thursday, the government said it was postponing peace talks with the ELN rebels until they release an ex-lawmaker held hostage, just hours from the scheduled start of negotiations.
