BOGOTA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group were killed on Tuesday in a Colombian military offensive in northwest Antioquia Department, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said.
The Colombian Air Force, which carried out the bombardment in a rural part of the town of Caceres, also wounded and captured three ELN rebels.
According to Villegas, the offensive dealt a heavy blow to the ELN, as a regional rebel commander identified as "Cachaco" was believed to be among the killed.
Villegas said the rebel faction led by Cachaco had forced several locals out of their homes and in January destroyed electricity lines in a region known as Bajo Cauca.
"News that the group that had caused so much damage was abolished came as a great relief" to local residents, said Villegas. "Now the Bajo Cauca region is a better region due to this operation."
Villegas said the military has "neutralized" 195 ELN rebels so far this year, including 34 that abandoned the guerrilla group.
Fighting between the ELN and state forces intensified earlier this year, after a cease-fire plan designed to promote peace talks between the two sides expired.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ordered a suspension of peace talks in late January, after the ELN targeted a police station in northern Colombia, killing seven officers and injuring more than 40 people.
Both sides have said they are still interested in continuing the negotiations.
