two soldiers died this Friday in clashes against remnants of the Shining Path guerrilla in the east of Peruwhere it also turned out “seriously injured” the leader of the terrorist organizationreported this Saturday the Ministry of Defense.
A statement from the authorities indicated that since last Thursday, military personnel and the Peruvian Police “initiated a offensive action against the Shining Path terrorist criminals in the Vizcatán region, managing to reach a series of terrorist camps and the main position of Victor Quispe Palomino, comrade ‘José'”.
“A significant number of casualties have been caused in the ranks of Sendero Luminoso, mainly in the area close to its leader ‘José’, who is seriously wounded,” HA added the note without specifying further details.
“Arms, communications material, equipment, laptops, abundant literature and documents” have also been seized during the operation.
casualties in the army
The Joint Command of the Armed Forces has “deeply regretted” the fappearance of the military, who were officers of the Army and the Navyand expressed their condolences to their families.
Last month a Peruvian Army soldier was also killed during a Shining Path attack on a patrol in Vizcatán, in the Junín region, an area that is part of a coca-growing valley known as VRAEM (acronym for Valle de Ríos Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro). ), where remnants of Sendero that protect drug trafficking take refuge, according to the Peruvian authorities.
The area has been patrolled for more than two decades by the military.
Another lethal blow to the guerrilla group
In January 2021 the military dealt a heavy blow to the guerrillas by kill in that region the number two of Sendero Luminoso, “comrade Raúl”one of the most wanted men in Peru, and brother of “comrade José”. Jorge Quispe Palomino, real name of “comrade Raúl”, was a member of the leadership of the central committee of Sendero Luminoso.
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Almost all the leaders of Sendero Luminoso are dead or in prison, but its remnantsled by “comrade José”, They have about 350 members.of which about 80 are armed.
The guerrilla group emerged as a Maoist organization that launched a so-called “people’s war” in May 1980, which after two decades of clashes with the army left 69,000 dead and disappeared, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.