BOGOTA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Ivan Duque said Saturday the army has gravely injured Walter Patricio Arizala, leader of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissident group, during a military operation in the country.
Arizala, also known as "Guacho," has been sought by Colombian authorities since March.
"Guacho was injured this morning and the military and police are, at this moment, searching the area to find him ... I hope that in the next few hours we will have definitive news about this impeccable work," said the president.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, Arizala was injured but managed to escape with his bodyguards.
Arizala headed the break-away FARC group, Oliver Sinisterra Front, which was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three employees of the Ecuadorian daily "El Comercio."
The group was also behind a car bomb attack on a police headquarters in Ecuador's northwestern Esmeraldas Province earlier this year, which injured 28 police and civilians.
They are also accused of drug and arms trafficking and terrorist activities.
