President Humala also announced the capture of eleven members of the Shining Path terrorist group as well as the seizure of multiple weapons.

He explained that the operation was carried out with great care to avoid endangering the lives of the minors, who were taken to Mazamari, Junin where the president said he planned to meet with them.

"We will continue to gather intelligence to do these surgical strikes with trained personnel to get these kinds of results," Humala said on local television.

Terrorists have been abducting children of the rural population for training and to "cover their backs" through this extortion and to assure themselves of the forced collaboration of the residents, Humala added.

He said it was a "shame" that these terrorist remnants of Shining Path use extortion and abduction of children in the country.

(END) SMA/GCO/EEP