Alleged rebel leader killed in Colombia as president targets armed groups

De la Espriella said he would take a radically different approach to defeating criminal groups in the country than his predecessor in office, Gustavo Petro. Petro, the first left-wing politician to be elected president of Colombia, advocated what he called a "total peace" strategy, which prioritised negotiation over confrontation. His attempts to negotiate with a number of armed groups, however, failed as members of the illegal organisations repeatedly broke ceasefires and walked away from the talks. De la Espriella's combative approach has been met with defiance by dissident rebel groups. On Saturday, just a day after the was sworn into office, two explosive devices went off.In Cauca province, a car bomb exploded at a tollbooth, injuring two security guards, and in Cesar province, a police officer was killed by explosives dropped from a drone. In a video uploaded to social media, De la Espriella praised the military for killing Forero, who was also known as "El ruso" (The Russian), and whom he described as an explosives expert.He added that three more alleged members of the dissident group had been killed in the military operation in a rural area in Meta province.