The communist group in Peru, which killed thousands at the height of its influence in Peru, was just dealt a major blow by Peruvian authorities. A 120 soldier Peruvian Army unit conducted a raid on the “production camp” and rescued 36 captive men, women and children.
26 of the rescued were children being held for indoctrination into the communist rebel group.
According to the BBC:
Production camps are farms where “the children are gathered to work in agriculture and the women are expected to procreate and give birth to new rebels,” he said. La Republica said some of the children had been kidnapped from rural communities, where parents do not report abductions for fear of reprisals. The Maoist-inspired left-wing group was largely defeated in the 1990s after waging a bloody insurgency in one of South America’s poorest nations. Almost 70,000 people died or disappeared in more than a decade of internal conflict.
While they are no where near the height of their influence and strength, the Shinning Path remains active and deadly in the Peruvian highlands.