Between 21 and 35 right-wing paramilitaries were killed in combat with the Colombian army, and Marxist rebels killed the mayor of a small town, authorities said on Saturday. No soldiers were killed in Friday's clash, which was the bloodiest battle in months between government forces and the paramilitaries and took place between the towns of Villanueva and Monterrey in Casanare province, 80 miles (130 km) east of Bogota. "We have the bodies of 21 but our information tells us that up to 35 might have been killed," said army Gen. Justo Eliseo Pena. He said some bodies may have fallen into the Tua River and been carried away. The paramilitaries were members of a splinter group called the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Casanare, known by the Spanish initials ACC. The group is not involved in the peace talks being held with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, Colombia's largest paramilitary organization.
