Army Starts Pullout From Rebel Zone
The government began a complete withdrawal of its troops from a leftist rebel stronghold, hoping to encourage a resumption of peace talks with the nation’s second-largest guerrilla force.
Military officials said 1,000 of an estimated 3,000 soldiers had left the territory as part of the withdrawal, which may be a step toward granting the National Liberation Army, or ELN, a demilitarized enclave.
Two years ago, Colombia granted a similar enclave to initiate talks with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
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