HAVANA — The rebels have blown up oil pipelines and blasted police stations in Colombia with homemade bombs. They take over highways, shutting down parts of the country for days. They have killed soldiers in ambushes — and kept others alive as hostages of their guerrilla movement.
For years, the rebel chain of command has run through Israel Ramírez Pineda, one of the five guerrilla leaders who run the last major insurgent group in Colombia, the National Liberation Army.