Paraguay/Insurgency: Rebel leader killed in shootout
 
The Paraguayan Interior Ministry has declared that police forces have killed Severiano Martinez, leader of the banned Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) group, during a gun battle in the Chaco region on Wednesday.

The statement further added that police had tracked down the rebel leader and asked him to surrender, in which he responded by firing at the officers. He was then reportedly killed in the ensuing shootout.
 
With five arrest warrants issued against him, Martinez was one of the most wanted fugitives in the country and has allegedly been accused of kidnapping and murdering the daughter of former President Raul Cubas in 2004.

The latest incident follows a drive started by President Fernando Lugo to hunt down members of the EPP.