Despite the recent air strikes that have killed off a number of its guerrilla members, negotiators speaking for the Marxist rebel group Farc -- Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-- have stated that the group will push ahead with peace talks.

According to the BBC, the announcement came just days after dozens of Farc fighters were killed in an air force bombing raid in south-western Cauca province.

Responding to the attack with measured diplomacy, Farc called the bombing a "step back" but insisted that the progress made so far at the peace talks, which have sought to end the more than 50 years of tension between Colombia, should not be "thrown overboard."

Pointing out the fragile state of their peace talks, Pablo Catatumbo, a negotiator for Farc speaking from Havana, stressed that "if we continue on this path [of negotiations], an alternative to war is possible."

Peace talks between Farc and Colombia have been taking place in the Cuban capital since November 2012. Thursday’s attack on Farc fighters resulted in at least 26 dead members of Farc. Over the weekend, another eight Farc fighters were killed in a raid in north-western Antioquia province.

In late 2014, Farc called for a unilateral ceasefire as a sign of good faith in the peace process. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said no to a bilateral ceasefire but ordered a halt to bombing raids. After 11 soldiers were killed in a Farc ambush on April 15, Santos resumed the bombings.

As reported in High Times, Oscar Zuluaga, the president the right wing Colombian political party Democratic Center, called the Farc truce a "farce," saying that the rebels “never have respected the truce, but rather have continuously killed soldiers and extorted Colombians."

It is estimated that 220,000 people have died due to the decades of conflict between Colombia and Farc.