Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced on Wednesday the extradition to the United States of two rebel leaders who had served as negotiators during the administration of his leftist predecessor Gustavo Petro.
The two rebel leaders, identified as Willinton Henao and Geovany Andres Rojas, were members of dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC rebel group.
Henao was part of a group operating near the border with Venezuela, the 33rd Front of FARC dissidents, where clashes with another faction last year displaced thousands of people.
Rojas was the leader of the Border Commandos, a drug trafficking organisation in areas near Ecuador.
Both were arrested last year but were not extradited due to their roles in peace talks with the government, negotiations that the hard-right De la Espriella ended upon taking office this month.
"I have ordered their transfer and extradition to the United States," De la Espriella said during a public appearance, adding that three other people were also extradited.
The two former rebel leaders face multiple charges in the United States, including drug trafficking, narco-terrorism and illegal weapon possession.
The head of US Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, visited Bogota on Wednesday to meet with military leaders and discuss joint efforts against narco-trafficking.
Upon taking office on August 7, De la Espriella promised to crack down on his country's myriad cocaine-smuggling factions with Washington's help.
