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| Army General Gary Prado, who arrested Che Guevara with the help of the United States, has died |
The military general who became a national hero after capturing Cuban revolutionary fighter Che Guevara died at the age of 84.
General Gary Prado was leading a military operation in 1967 aimed at defeating an attempted communist coup in Bolivia by revolutionary leader Che Guevara.
US secret agent General Gary Prado was helping in this campaign. At that time, a right-wing military government was in power in Bolivia.
This was a time when the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was at its height and the United States was very concerned about the growing communist influence in Latin America.
The activities of Che Guevara added to the worries of the United States, which after helping the successful movement to overthrow the pro-American government in Cuba in 1959, turned to other countries of the world.
Che Guevara joined Fidel Castro in the '26th of July Movement' and played an important role in the guerrilla war against the Cuban dictator Batista.
Castro ended Batista's rule in 1959 and took power in Cuba.
From 1959 to 1961, Che Guevara was President of the National Bank of Cuba and then Minister of Industry. In this capacity, he traveled around the world as Cuba's diplomat.
He later expressed his desire to spread the revolution to other parts of the developing world, and then in 1965, Castro announced that Che Guevara had left Cuba.
Che Guevara spent several months on the continent of Africa, particularly in the Congo. He tried to train the rebel army for guerilla warfare. But his efforts were in vain and in 1966 he secretly returned to Cuba.
From Cuba, he decided to go to Bolivia to lead the rebel forces against the government of René Barentes Ortono.
General Prado attacked Che Guevara's guerrilla force in Bolivia and succeeded in arresting Che Guevara.
After this action, he was given the status of a national hero for defending the military regime.
General Prado, leading American-trained rangers, arrived in a remote jungle where Che Guevara was trying to organize an armed rebellion.
During this campaign, the number of people in Che Guevara's squad was gradually reduced from 120 to only 22.
Che Guevara was killed in Huguaraz, a village in Bolivia, 830 km from La Paz.
A day after Che Guevara's capture, the Argentine-born guerrilla commander was shot dead by a military officer.
The military officer who shot and killed Cho Guevara was named Mario Terran. He died last year.
Che Guevara's body was buried in a secret location. His remains were discovered in 1997 and taken to Cuba for burial.
There is also an article in Che Guevara's diary by Fidel Castro in which he writes: 'It has been proven that Che was killed while fighting. The bore of his M2 rifle had been completely rendered useless by a single shell. There were no bullets in his pistol. In this helplessness, he was arrested alive.
His legs were so injured that he could not even walk. In that state, he was taken to Hagoraz. The military officers decided to kill him. The details of the implementation of this decision in a school are known to all.
In 1967, General Prado also wrote a book titled 'How I Captured Chi'.
In 1981, General Prado was injured when an accidental bullet hit him in the back. Since then he used a wheelchair.
After General Prado's death, his son said that his father was an extraordinary man who "left a legacy of love and courage."
According to his son, General Prado's "capture of Che was not the most important moment of his life, but the most important achievement for him was to make the army a democratic institution that respects the constitution and laws."