Start of Operation Aries - first phase
First phase of Operation Aries initiated on April 5, 1994 against PCP-SL positions in the Bolsones Cuchara and Primavera, Huanuco. Military operation that used special commandos and helicopter gunships in four attack fronts.
The first phase of Operation Aries was executed between April and May 1994 on the left bank of the Huallaga River, specifically in the areas known as Bolsón Cuchara and Bolsón Primavera. The operation began on April 5, 1994 with the objective of dismantling the Shining Path contingents that were trying to regroup after the capture of Abimael Guzman. The armed forces used special commandos prepared in Lima, Tarapoto, Tingo Maria and Ayacucho, with the support of helicopter gunships that launched rockets and bursts of shrapnel. The operation was carried out on four entry fronts: through Venenillo and Monzon river, through the southern end via Moena, through the center via San Isidro, and through the northern end via Alto Pucate. In this first phase, information from repentants was used mainly to locate the PCP-SL's Open Popular Committees.