A source in Colombia has emailed me to say rumors are flying that Manuel “Sureshot” Marulanda, the Marxist FARC guerrilla chief of chiefs, has been shot dead – UPDATE from my source: died in bed. If it’s true he’s been shot or captured, it has the significance of the U.S. taking out Zarkawi or Bin Laden. This aging thug has terrorized Colombia for more than 40 years. Even if he died in bed instead of splattered against some wall as he deserves, it will decapitate the FARC leadership. The FARC denies the rumor. But if Colombia has really got him, it will be a major blow in the war against terror. It will weaken the Marxist guerrilla organization and make Colombia’s already growing victories against the terrorist organizations extend further.

It also could not come at a more fortuitous time, given that President Alvaro Uribe is on a victory tour in the U.S., showcasing his country’s stunning revolutionary accomplishments, impressively achieved despite Marulanda and his long campaign of terror.

Destroying or otherwise ending Marulanda would be a triumph.

I will post more information as it becomes available.