An attack on a military base in Peru’s Apurimac and Ene river valley, one of the world’s biggest coca-growing areas known as the VRAE, has left one soldier dead, daily El Comercio said.
Soldier Mayer Rios Pipa was killed early Wednesday during an attack on the Canayre military base in the province of Huanta, in Ayacucho region, by remnants of Shining Path rebels.
The rebels have a strong grip on the VRAE where they provide security to coca growers and drug traffickers, and where experts say they also have a role in producing cocaine.
Peruvian police and military officers are often targeted by the Shining Path remnants in the VRAE, where a number of security personnel have been killed over the last several years.
In April, about 10 Peruvian security personnel were killed just outside of the VRAE during an operation to capture rebels that had kidnapped, and late released, almost 40 natural gas workers in Cuzco region.
The operation, which was widely seen as a fiasco, led to the resignation of Peru’s Defense and Interior ministers.
