In a rare public admission, retired soldiers of Colombia's military have confessed to murdering civilians and presenting them as rebels killed in fighting. &nbsp;

The 10 retired members made the admission on Tuesday in front of family members of the victims for their role in the elimination of 120 civilians. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In the case, a general, four colonels and five officers along with a civilian will make confessions soon, an AFP report said. &nbsp;

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The case is being heard by a special tribunal, which came up after the peace deal in 2016. It had also marked the ending of a half century of conflict between the government forces and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels. &nbsp;

The 'false positives' scandal, which saw many civilians getting murdered in cold blood and passed off as enemy warriors, has caused ripples in Colombia. &nbsp;

"I ask you to clear our family names ... they were rural workers, not subversives, guerrillas and thugs as they were branded," said Eduvina Becerra, partner of Jose Ortega, a murdered farmer. &nbsp;

The hearing of Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is taking place in Ocana.

Watch:&nbsp;Critically endangered Cotton-top Tamarin species monkey born in Colombia zoo

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Around 50 family members of the victims reached the university theater to witness the proceedings. The soldiers gave details about the killings as victims’ sobbing family members listened. &nbsp; &nbsp;

"I acknowledge and accept my responsibility as co-perpetrator" of the murders, which were carried out from 2007 to 2008, said Nestor Gutierrez, a former non-commissioned officer in the army. &nbsp;

"We murdered innocent people, peasants," added Gutierrez. He also promised to "clarify it here before the judgment, before the world, before the country." &nbsp;

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(With inputs from agencies)

In a rare public admission, retired soldiers of Colombia's military have confessed to murdering civilians and presenting them as rebels killed in fighting. The 10 retired members made the admission on Tuesday in front of family members of the victims for their role in the elimination of 120 civilians.

In a rare public admission, retired soldiers of Colombia's military have confessed to murdering civilians and presenting them as rebels killed in fighting. The 10 retired members made the admission on Tuesday in front of family members of the victims for their role in the elimination of 120 civilians. In the case, a general, four colonels and five officers along with a civilian will make confessions soon, an AFP report said. Also Read | Rio Carnival parade: Grande Rio Samba School crowned champion The case is being heard by a special tribunal, which came up after the peace deal in 2016. It had also marked the ending of a half century of conflict between the government forces and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels. The 'false positives' scandal, which saw many civilians getting murdered in cold blood and passed off as enemy warriors, has caused ripples in Colombia. "I ask you to clear our family names ... they were rural workers, not subversives, guerrillas and thugs as they were branded," said Eduvina Becerra, partner of Jose Ortega, a murdered farmer. The hearing of Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is taking place in Ocana. Watch: Critically endangered Cotton-top Tamarin species monkey born in Colombia zoo × Around 50 family members of the victims reached the university theater to witness the proceedings. The soldiers gave details about the killings as victims’ sobbing family members listened. "I acknowledge and accept my responsibility as co-perpetrator" of the murders, which were carried out from 2007 to 2008, said Nestor Gutierrez, a former non-commissioned officer in the army. "We murdered innocent people, peasants," added Gutierrez. He also promised to "clarify it here before the judgment, before the world, before the country." WATCH WION LIVE HERE (With inputs from agencies)

Rare admission: Colombian military's 10 retired soldiers confess to killing 120 civilians

The Colombian army said it had found the bodies of nine of the 11 soldiers missing after a military helicopter crashed Tuesday in the country's southeast during an operation against guerrillas.

"Unfortunately, we have found the bodies of nine of our personnel," a military spokesperson said on Twitter.

The Blackhawk helicopter was carrying 17 military personnel when it went down. The armed forces high command did not reveal whether it was shot down or an accident.

Authorities found the helicopter in a stretch of the river Inirida in Guaviare state, an area where dissident former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas are active.

FARC rebels laid down their arms in a historic 2016 peace deal that ended a half century of conflict and turned the guerrillas into a communist political party.

But more than 2,000 dissidents, according to authorities, refused to join the 13,000 rebels that signed the peace deal and continue to resist the government, financing themselves though drug-trafficking and illegal mining.

The army said the helicopter was taking part in an operation against dissidents in an area where there are drug plantations.

The army's air assault division said in a statement it was "on site beginning the corresponding investigations to determine the circumstances regarding the time, manner and place that the events occurred."

The more than half century conflict left nine million people dead, missing or displaced.

The Colombian army said it had found the bodies of nine of the 11 soldiers missing after a military helicopter crashed Tuesday in the country's southeast during an operation against guerrillas.

The Colombian army said it had found the bodies of nine of the 11 soldiers missing after a military helicopter crashed Tuesday in the country's southeast during an operation against guerrillas. "Unfortunately, we have found the bodies of nine of our personnel," a military spokesperson said on Twitter. The Blackhawk helicopter was carrying 17 military personnel when it went down. The armed forces high command did not reveal whether it was shot down or an accident. Authorities found the helicopter in a stretch of the river Inirida in Guaviare state, an area where dissident former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas are active. FARC rebels laid down their arms in a historic 2016 peace deal that ended a half century of conflict and turned the guerrillas into a communist political party. But more than 2,000 dissidents, according to authorities, refused to join the 13,000 rebels that signed the peace deal and continue to resist the government, financing themselves though drug-trafficking and illegal mining. The army said the helicopter was taking part in an operation against dissidents in an area where there are drug plantations. The army's air assault division said in a statement it was "on site beginning the corresponding investigations to determine the circumstances regarding the time, manner and place that the events occurred." The more than half century conflict left nine million people dead, missing or displaced.

9 soldiers dead in Colombian military helicopter crash

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Rare admission: Colombian military's 10 retired soldiers confess to killing 120 civilians

9 soldiers dead in Colombian military helicopter crash