The attack occurred in the province of La Convención in Cusco. Photo: Public Eye
At 9:45 a.m. this Saturday, in the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), the largest coca-growing basin in the country, seven agents of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) were ambushed and killed with firearms. long-range.
Terrorist attack in the VRAEM leaves seven police officers dead
The police officers belonged to the Dinoes and the Natividad police station and were traveling in a van when they were ambushed around 9:45 this Saturday.
The troops from the Natividad police station, in Pichari (Cusco), and from the National Directorate of Special Operations (Dinoes) were working in the Minirini annex when they were surrounded in the all-terrain vehicle in this area where the armed forces have been fighting for more than two decades ago, drug gangs and the remnants of Sendero Luminoso.
Only Captain Edwin Mego Villogas survived, confirmed the institution, which is investigating the link between the attack and the remnant of the terrorist organization, which also functions as an armed protection group for cocaine producers in the region.
We express our deep sorrow for the death of our courageous policemen who were cowardly ambushed in the town of Natividad, in Vraem. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and to the entire police family. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/jRpaTgPRrD
— Mindef Perú (@MindefPeru) February 11, 2023
Shining Path, responsible for the largest number of victims during the internal conflict in the country between 1980 and 2000, has evolved in recent decades into a drug trafficking mafia, so that the Joint Command of the Armed Forces deploys operations to put an end to these groups .
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The injured were transferred to the nearest hospitals. The victims’ health is stable and everyone is out of danger. The Peruvian Army sent a statement giving details of what happened.
The deceased were non-commissioned officers Alfredo Loayza Carbajal, Luis Cerrón Palacios, Wilder Eliseo Conozco, Iván Muñoz Fasabi, Sandro Villegas Corahiua, Williams Quispe Anchay and Saul Huarco Samaniego.
To guarantee security in the 2022 Regional and Municipal Elections, operations are being carried out by the Armed Forces and the PNP in Vraem and throughout the country. (Andean)
In a statement published on Twitter, the PNP indicated that its personnel have been constituted “at the scene of the events – where the narcoterrorist organization led by Víctor Quispe Palomino operates – to carry out the respective survey and the corresponding investigation work in coordination with the Prosecutor’s Office.” .
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In the southern part of the national territory is where the roadblocks continue with greater intensity, which prevent the passage of food, medicine, fuel, drinking water and more.
He also regretted the attack and expressed his “condolences to the relatives and relatives, guaranteeing all the necessary support.” The Defense portfolio did the same in a statement.
A report by Ojo Público showed that drug-terrorist violence in the VRAEM threatens law enforcement and citizens. On May 23, 2021, in this area, 16 people —including three minors— were murdered, but those responsible have not yet been identified and the relatives continue to await justice and reparations.
The situation has not improved for the inhabitants of the Vizcatán del Ene district and, on the contrary, since this crime, more than 10 corpses have been found in this town. In August 2022, the Army reported that Quispe Palomino, ‘comrade José’, was “seriously” injured in an operation against “terrorist camps”.
Comrade “José”, leader of Sendero Luminoso, is being investigated for the crime of terrorism, to the detriment of the State, ordering his capture at the national level.
A year and a half earlier, in January 2021, the military had dealt a severe blow to the guerrillas by killing Shining Path number two in the VRAEM, ‘comrade Raúl’, one of the most wanted men in the country and brother of “ Comrade Jose.”
Almost all of Sendero’s leaders are dead or imprisoned, but its remnants, led by “comrade José”, number some 350 members, of whom some 80 are armed.
The guerrilla group emerged as a Maoist organization that launched a so-called “people’s war” in May 1980, which after two decades of clashes with the army left a balance of 69,000 dead and missing, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.