Obama praises Colombia in wake of rebel’s death

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama is praising Colombia’s security forces in the wake of the death of a top rebel leader, saying he hopes their actions lead to more stability in the embattled country.

The president spoke as he met with Colombian President Jan Manuel Santos on Friday, a day after officials announced that rebel leader Jorce Briceno had been killed in a two-day clash.

Nicknamed “Mono Jojoy,” Biceno was the No. 2 leader and field marshal of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has been battling the Bogota government for a half-century.

Obama told reporters that the people of Colombia have been plagued by a terrorist insurgency for far too long.