Bogotá, March 30 (RHC-Telesur)-- In Colombia, one active general and one retired general are under investigation for their role in a scandal that saw thousands of civilians killed.

Colombian Army General William Torres was arrested on Monday in connection to his alleged implication in the deliberate killings of civilians disguised to look like guerrilla combatants in what is known as the 'false positives' scandal.

The arrest of Torres marks the first instance where an active general in Colombia will face charges related to the scandal.

A second Army General, Mario Montoya, who is retired, was called in for questioning related to the scandal. Montoya served as commander of the army during the administration of former far-right president Alvaro Uribe. Officials allege that Montoya deliberately ignored warnings that soldiers were disguising civilians as guerrillas killed in combat.

These extra-judicial killings artificially increased the “success” of the army operations against rebel groups. Soldiers were also given bonuses for the killings, providing them with further incentive to engage in human rights violations.