Peru's Humala touts rebel capture after deadly protest

[Bacchus4.0]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/06/peru-politics-humala-idUSL2E8I6A7P20120706


LIMA, July 6 (Reuters) - Peruvian police captured 11 Shining Path rebels and freed 10 children thought to be in combat training, President Ollanta Humala said on Friday after a string of military setbacks and a week of anti-mining violence.

The military offensive, which was continuing, was a small victory for Humala, a former army officer who has struggled to stamp out what remains of the 30-year-old insurgency and retake control of a lawless bundle of jungle valleys in southeastern Peru where the rebels traffic cocaine.

"The important thing is that this operation has allowed us to rescue these kids," Humala said on local television in reference to children rebels allegedly kidnap to turn into insurgents. "We will continue to gather intelligence to do these surgical strikes with trained personnel to get these kinds of results."

The raid on a jungle camp near San Martin de Pangoa, 280 miles (450km) east of Lima was the army's first sign of success since it was embarrassed in April when rebels brazenly kidnapped and later freed 36 natural gas workers, shot down a helicopter and killed six security agents.