5 rebels killed in Colombia

BOGOTA – Colombian army forces on Saturday killed five leftist rebels in an isolated rural area of the country’s north near where authorities are looking for a kidnapped girl, authorities said.

The clash with National Liberation Army guerrillas took place in Tame, in Arauca department near the Venezuelan border, the army said.

On September 29, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Nohora Valentina, 10, who was on her way to school with her mother. The girl’s mother was freed shortly after they were first held. The victim is the daughter of Jorge Munoz, mayor of the Arauca town of Fortul.

Since the girl’s kidnapping, authorities have pulled out all stops to try to find her.

Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon has offered a 100 million peso (52,000 dollar) reward for information leading to the girl’s release.

A statement attributed to ELN rebels in Arauca on Saturday said the kidnapping was by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The Marxist FARC, Latin America’s oldest and longest insurgency, have about 8,000 men at arms while the ELN has about 2,500, according to Defense Ministry estimates.