General resigns amid torture scandal

BOGOTA, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The head of the Colombian military has resigned amid an investigation into whether the military subjected some recruits to torture as part of an initiation.

Gen. Reinaldo Castellanos was replaced by Gen. Mario Montoya, who called the scandal a "difficult time for the army," El Tiempo reported Wednesday.

The recruits reportedly were forced to eat animal feces and were beaten and branded.

Weekly newspaper Semana on Sunday published a series of photos depicting cruelty to recruits at a base some 60 miles west of the capital, Bogota.