Rebels killed 14 Colombian soldiers

An ambush by FARC and ELN rebels killed 14 Colombian soldiers during an army patrol and left two guerrillas dead, officials said in an updated toll Sunday. Army commander Juan Pablo Rodriguez said members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army used bombs and hand grenades to perpetrate the attack. The ambush took place Saturday evening, shortly after officials announced government talks with the leftist FARC rebels would resume Monday. Rodriguez said the incident took place in a rural area in the Arauca department town of Tame near Colombia's northeastern border with Venezuela. Initial reports had put the number of dead at 13 soldiers. A day earlier, the army had killed the number two of a FARC faction who went by the name "Ariel," the commander noted. The latest attack came on the heels of a separate assault in July claimed by the FARC's 10th Front that left 15 soldiers dead, also in Arauca. And in May, a FARC attack killed 11 troops in the northeastern Norte de Santander department. The government and rebels have been holding peace talks in Havana since November, with the aim of ending Latin America's longest insurgency. Although the guerrillas have proposed a bilateral ceasefire during the talks, President Juan Manuel Santos has rejected the offer, saying insurgents could use the lull to build their strength. The FARC is Colombia's main guerrilla force and now has about 8,000 fighters, according to the Defense Ministry. The ELN is the second largest guerrilla group in the country with about 2,500 fighters.