Rebel commander surrenders in Colombia

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BOGOTA, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Colombian authorities said a leading commander of the rebel group FARC has surrendered to the military while citing discord within the Marxist organization.

The rebel commander, identified by the alias of Efren Carracho, is third in command of FARC's 7th Front, Colombia Reports said.

He surrendered Tuesday to the army's Omega Task Force in the southeastern Guaviare department.

Carracho said FARC rebels who protect important leaders of the group lead a better life than the average rebel fighter, Colombia Reports said. He also complained about internal divisions in the organization.

"Each structure does what it wants to do," he said.

In a related development, land mines believed to be planted by FARC killed a young woman and injured eight others in the northwestern department of Antioquia. The group accidentally stepped into a minefield near a school, a government official said.