For the Recognition of Victims of Shining Path Internment Camps

On July 23, 2015, the Ministerio de Defensa announced that the Ejército Peruano had rescued 26 children and 13 adults who had been living under the control of the remnants of Sendero Luminoso led by José Quispe Palomino in sector 5 of the VRAEM [Valles de los ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro] region. According to journalist Doris Aguirre [La República, July 28, 2015], this military operation, dubbed "Reencuentro 2015," was carried out by agents of the Dirección Contra el Terrorismo (DIRCOTE) and elite soldiers of the Comando de Inteligencia y Operaciones Especiales Conjuntas (CIOEC). A group of 120 soldiers entered the area in four helicopters, which was directed by the "comrade Ricardo," who was the only one armed, with an Israeli rifle. The operation began six days earlier, and the precise location of the area was obtained thanks to the cooperation of "repentant" Shining Path members. Published February 8, 2016.