REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOTA -- The Colombian army said Wednesday five FARC guerrillas were killed during a military operation, days after the rebel force declared a unilateral ceasefire.

The dead included the leader of a FARC unit, Arnulfo Suarez Gonzalez, known as Alberto Guevara, who the army said was engaged in drug trafficking.

The army said the five were killed "in the past hours" during an operation in the eastern department of Cauca.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has declared a unilateral 30-day ceasefire during the end-of-year holiday season, which went into effect on Sunday.

But the government of President Juan Manuel Santos has vowed to keep up the pressure on the leftist guerrilla group.

The government and the FARC have been in peace talks for over a year, and currently are discussing drug trafficking as part of an attempt to reach a comprehensive peace deal.

The FARC, Colombia's largest guerrilla group with 7,000 to 8,000 fighters, has waged an insurgency against the state since its founding in 1964.

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