Colombia captures 22 ELN rebels after ceasefire expires

BOGOTA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas on Monday said security forces have captured 22 members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group since a bilateral ceasefire expired at midnight last Tuesday.

Hostilities between the government and rebels resumed immediately after the ceasefire ended, despite ongoing peace talks being held in Quito, Ecuador, to put an end to the five decades of fighting.

According to Villegas, among the captured was Jose Gregorio Torres, alias "Walter," the alleged leader of the ELN's central front, which operates in the departments of northwest Antioquia and west-central Tolima.

Villegas said it was the most "important" arrest since 2008.

"The response of the public forces will continue to be firm, with increasing operations against the guerrillas, especially since the ceasefire ended between the two sides," said the minister, adding "more than 20 terrorist actions have been prevented thanks to the deployment of troops and police throughout the country."

After rebels blasted several oil pipelines the morning after the ceasefire expired, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos recalled the head government negotiator, Gustavo Bell, for consultations in Bogota about what the next step should be.

The ELN, meanwhile, issued a statement via Twitter, saying the attacks "should not alter the course of the talks to achieve a political resolution to the conflict."

Last year, the ELN agreed to dialogue with the government after Colombia's largest guerrilla group, the FARC, successfully negotiated a peace deal with Santos' administration that led to their renouncing armed conflict and joining politics. Enditem