13 mercenaries 'Los Rastrojos' killed by the Colombian military

The Colombian military said it had killed 13 mercenaries in clashes with the ultra-right-wing death commando 'Los Rastrojos' in the country's south-west region.
A military spokesman said that the recent clash took place in Argelia, in the province of Cauca. The paramilitary unit was formed after the dissolution of the United Self Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) starting in 2004, when the government of President Alvero Uribe launched a reconciliation and amnesty programme with AUC.
The new 'Rastrojos' unit went to work for the drug cartel of Norte de Valle after 2004 and is blamed for a number of contract killings. Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine, which earns hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Both AUC and the left wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which still operates, have been inextricably linked to the drug trade during decades of the South American country's civil conflict.