Seven suspected leftist FARC rebels were killed and five others captured in an overnight army raid on a camp operated by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the defense minister said Tuesday.

"We've found seven bodies," the minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon, told reporters after an operation targeting the FARC's so-called Eastern Bloc faction.

Pinzon said a total of 26 fighters were using the camp, which was located not far from the town of Vista Hermosa in the country's central Meta department.

The operation comes on the heels of several others on Sunday targeting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Latin America's oldest rebel movement, which is estimated to have some 8,000 fighters and has been battling the government since 1964.

Seven suspected rebels were killed in the previous operations, officials said.

Since October 21, FARC fighters have staged three attacks targeting the army, killing 23 soldiers. Five other military personnel were wounded on Saturday in an ambush of their convoy in southern Colombia.