Colombia neutralizes top FARC dissident leader ‘Marlon’

Colombian security forces killed Iván Jacobo Idrobo Arredondo, alias “Marlon”, the second‑in‑command of the dissident faction led by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, alias “Iván Mordisco”. The joint operation by the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Police took place in the rural San Isidro area of Buenaventura, straddling the Cauca and Valle del Cauca departments. Intelligence work over more than a year pinpointed his location, and a sniper from the elite Joint Special Operations Command neutralised him.

President Gustavo Petro announced the death, calling it the toughest blow to the illegal armed groups in the southwest of Colombia. Authorities said the kill deals a strategic blow to the “Jaime Martínez” block and the State Major Central (EMC) structure, which had been responsible for bombings, assassinations of social leaders and recruitment of minors. A bounty of up to 5 000 million Colombian pesos had been offered, and Marlon was on an Interpol red notice and a U.S. warrant.

The same security push also saw the seizure of 26 rifles, more than 200 improvised explosive devices and other weaponry in Yumbo, linked to the same criminal network, further weakening its logistical capacity.