Bogota - Colombia's army and Marxist rebels disputed yesterday the death toll from a week of heavy fighting in the country's north-east.
The army said it killed at least 61 guerrillas in the fighting in oil-rich Arauca province. If those figures are accurate, it would be one of the worst defeats suffered by Colombia's insurgents in more than 30 years of fighting.
But rebel spokesmen denied suffering any heavy losses and told local media that at least 40 army soldiers died, far more than the dozen troops the military has said it lost.