Peruvian security forces killed three members of the rebel group Shining Path during a shootout Tuesday, the country's Defense Ministry announced.
A civilian woman, who is the owner of an apartment where the rebels were found, was injured during the clash with army troops in the Echarate region, about 100 kilometers north of Machu Picchu, in the southern region of Cusco.
Likewise, the troops confiscated a machine gun, two assault rifles, a shotgun and a pistol.
The encounter took place in the territory region the military have designated as the Valley of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), where most of Peru’s coca – the raw material of cocaine – is grown.
Meanwhile, President Ollanta Humala Tasso told reporters during a visit to Puno, in southern Peru, that "it was an important operation against the criminal bands in the VRAEM who dedicate themselves to transport drugs and extort local governments and businesses."
The Shining Path has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997. Since 1980, the group is responsible for the deaths of many tens of thousands of Peru's civilians as well as attacks on U.S. Government personnel and facilities.
Since the capture of its leader, Abimael Guzman, in 1992, the Shining Path has declined in activity and only a few factions remain active in VRAEM, according to the
Voice of Russia.
(END) INT/DLG/RMB
Published: 6/18/2014