Spanish/Nat The twisted bodies of some 36 soldiers have been retrieved from a damp, misty hillside in Colombia a day after fierce fighting with leftist rebels in mountains south of the capital Bogota. The soldiers died in clashes touched off by a rebel attack on a mobile army encampment. Those who survived were hysterical as they emerged from the bush following the massacre . Colombia's powerful guerrilla insurgency appears never to have been stronger in its 35-year history. A 12-hour battle broke out Thursday after hundreds of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels overran an army camp near Gutierrez, 27 miles from Bogota in Colombia's eastern cordillera. The army said 600 soldiers squared off with about 500 fighters from the 15-thousand member FARC. A long battle followed and the army's losses were severe. Thirty six bodies belonging to the military have been counted. No injured have been found. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "With the fog that here was today we could not see anything." Q: "Were you all surrounded?" A: "Yes, on all sides." SUPER CAPTION: Military soldier The fighting broke out, despite continuing efforts to rekindle peace talks between the FARC and the government. Many see this attack as yet another effort by the rebels to strengthen their hand at the negotiating table. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "At this place called Sabanitas, we have found 36 dead bodies belonging to the military." SUPER CAPTION: Red Cross official But FARC rebel spokesmen have warned repeatedly that talks will not guarantee peace and further hostilities are likely to continue until term are agreed on both sides. They maintain that a cease-fire is still a long way away. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "After an extensive search lasting more than two hours we have found no injured but we are going to exhaust our efforts to pursue that possibility." SUPER CAPTION: Red Cross official Reports suggest that the rebels used gas cylinders full of explosives to inflict the heavy damage. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "They mounted an M-60 over there so I turned around and got down under a bed and I got out at about 05:30 and looked for other survivors but found no one but another soldier who had also escaped death." SUPER CAPTION: Soldier The rebels have repeatedly stated that their struggle is solely with the government of Colombia. They have also warned the U-S that any involvement on their part in this conflict would result in a situation worse than Vietnam. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/56d7042cd3f9872bb338b584185a2f73 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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