Colombia arrests army general decade after killing of civilians

Colombia has arrested an army general for his role a decade ago in the killing of civilians presented as guerrillas killed in combat, the highest-ranking military officer to ever be detained for such crimes.

Gen Henry Torres, who currently holds an administrative position in the armed forces, turned himself in on Monday as soon as the arrest order on charges of homicide against him was issued.

The chief prosecutor’s office also announced it would seek the detention of retired Gen Mario Montoya, a close ally of former president Álvaro Uribe who headed the army when the so-called “false positives” scandal broke in 2008. The revelation that security forces killed thousands of civilians to inflate body counts on which bonuses and vacations were based tarnished the US-backed military but so far has led to only a handful of charges against high-ranking officers.

Read More- The Guardian

Image courtesy of AFP