Commanders of Colombia’s ‘battalion of death’ arrested for killing 72 [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Commanders of Colombia’s ‘battalion of death’ arrested for killing 72
Posted by Adriaan Alsema on Jun 9, 2015

The entire former command of an army battalion based in Medellin is investigated for the alleged killing of more than 70 civilians who were dressed up as guerrillas and secured numerous honors for the unit.

According to weekly Semana, all five then-commanders of the Pedro Nel Ospina battalion, a unit belonging to the 4th Brigade stations in Medellin, are investigated for the murder of 72 people between 2006 and 2007, the years in which the military committed most “false positives,” or extrajudicial killings of more than 4,000 civilians.

Over the past few months and out of sight from the media, prosecution officials arrested the unit’s then-commander, the second-in-command, the operations chief and two assistant operation chiefs of the unit. All five suspects are ranked colonel.

The Pedro Nel Ospina battalion is responsible for security in the Comuna 13, a district in the east of Medellin, and the Oriente region of Antioquia, one of the hardest hit by the military killings that has left hundreds of soldiers in prison.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/commanders-of-colombias-battalion-of-death-arrested-for-killing-72/