Rafael Cordova

Colonel Rafael Cordova was the head of military operations in Ayacucho, Peru. He was a key figure in the Peruvian military's campaign against the Shining Path.¹

Cordova met Ari Ben-Menashe on a flight to Ayacucho in 1988. Ben-Menashe informed Cordova that he was from Israel and wished to teach at the University of San Cristobal and write a paper about the Shining Path. Cordova was initially suspicious but granted Ben-Menashe a permit after Ben-Menashe revealed knowledge of Cordova's illegal sale of Stinger missiles to the Shining Path.¹

Cordova was known for his brutal tactics against the Shining Path. After five of his officers were killed in a Shining Path ambush, he planned to massacre a village in retaliation. Ari Ben-Menashe attempted to prevent this by having Barbara Durr broadcast the plan, but the massacre proceeded, resulting in the deaths of dozens of innocent villagers. Cordova was later implicated in the murder of a judge who was investigating the massacre, and two military helicopters were shot down by Stinger missiles that Cordova had sold to the Shining Path.¹