The Eastern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, from September 2010 known as Bloque Comandante Jorge Briceño, in honour of the slain guerrilla leader,[1] was considered to be the strongest military faction of the guerrilla group.
It was divided into groups of 50–400 combatants in each group, which patrolled and controlled different areas of Colombia's Eastern and Central-Eastern territory, as well as helped to carry out the killings, taxation, and arrests necessary to advance the organization's financial and political goals.
Many of these fronts sometimes worked together towards a certain mission, while others were further divided into 'columns' and 'companies' with a smaller number of members.
This group of commanders was called the "EMBO" (Estado Mayor del Bloque Oriental).
The ground offensive was follow by an airforce attack, killing 20 guerrillas, unofficial sources said.
On October 22, 2011, members of the front killed 10 Colombians soldiers in an ambush in Arauca.
Security forces launched an offensive few days after the attack: on March 20, 3 alleged member of the FARC are killed and 4 captured by the army.
On March 21, 33 FARC members were allegedly killed and 5 others captured.
Its activity diminished notoriously after its head, Duván Alberto Cartagena, was captured.
[53] Also known as the Juan de la Cruz Front, it was composed of up to 120 people.
[59] Also known as the Teófilo Forero Front, it was composed of around 150 militants,[60] although the members of its urban network were much greater.
It operated mostly in the Cundinamarca Department, and was considered the FARC's base in Bogotá.
The following columns and companies also were part of the Eastern Bloc: Participants Timeline Key aspects