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Mario Teran, the Bolivian soldier who shot the Argentine doctor and revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara in October 1976, has died at the age of 80.
The former general, Gary Prado, the commander of the group that had wounded and captured the revolutionary leader after months of searching, told Radio Companera that Teran passed away after a long illness. Speaking about the most famous episode of his career, Prado said that “Teran simply performed his duty as an army sergeant”.
Mario Terán
“Che” Guevara was one of the most famous figures of the Cuban revolution, which in 1959 led to the overthrow of dictator Fulgencio Batista and the subsequent creation of the socialist state under the leadership of Fidel Castro.
In the following years Guevara left Cuba in an attempt to lead other uprisings in some countries of Africa and South America, but less successful. He was killed at the age of 39 on October 9, 1976 in La Higuera, Bolivia, a day after he was wounded and captured by a Bolivian army anti-guerrilla unit, also assisted by US special forces.
It is learned that the US government, which had managed to infiltrate a CIA agent in the Bolivian army, wanted Guevara alive and to be interrogated, while Bolivian leaders decided that he should be killed, in order to avoid a sympathy regarding with it that could be created during a lawsuit. The official version of the story was that “Che” Guevara was killed in battle.
On the morning of October 9, CIA agent Cuban-American Felix Rodribuez managed to talk to Guevara and told him he would be killed soon. In an interview a few years later, Rodriguez said that Guevara told him that “it was better that way” and that “he should never have been caught alive”.
“We shook hands and hugged,” said Rodriguez. Then, before leaving the room, the officer ordered Teran to shoot him in the chest, in such a way as if he had been killed in battle.
Sergeant Teran, years later, told reporters that “it was the worst period of my life.”
“He was a big body, his eyes shone brightly and at one point he stared at me and misled me.”.
Referring to the biography of journalist Jon Lee Anderson, “Che” Guevara told Teran that he knew he was there to kill him.
“I pulled back a little, closed my eyes and shot,” Teran said. He hit her in the arm, leg and finally in the chest.
His lifeless body was shown to reporters in the Bolivian village of Vallegrande. He was later buried in a secret location, which was later discovered during an expedition funded by the Bolivian government in 1997. His remains were later buried in Cuba in a state ceremony.
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