Nine FARC guerrillas, among them the alleged commander of the 37th Front, have died in combat in the north fo Colombia, the country's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.

Roberto García Márquez, the commander of the Colombian navy, said that among the "FARC" members killed is the commander of the 37th Front, alias "Silvio" or "El Frances," whose real name was Luis Enrique Benitez Cañola.

Benitez Cañola had been a member of the FARC for 34 years.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed the news on Twitter.

According to the website of newscast CM&, the fighting left another eight presumed FARC members dead and eight wounded.

The 37th Front of the FARC has historically been influential in the north of Colombia, but has in recent years been pushed further south in the Bolivar department due to repeated army and paramilitary pressure.