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Veteran Spanish Communist Leader Carrillo Dies

Veteran Communist Party leader Santiago Carrillo, Spain's last surviving public figure to have actively fought in the country's 1936-39 civil war, has died at the age of 97.

The Spanish Communist Party said he died at his home in Madrid.

Carrillo joined the Communist Party in 1936 and led Republican forces resisting the fascist advance on Madrid during the war.

After Francisco Franco's forces won the war, Carrillo went into exile, where he helped organize resistance against the dictatorship.

He led the Spanish Communist party from 1960 to 1982.

He had to wait until Franco's death in 1975 to return to Spain.

Carrillo continued his active participation in Spanish political life, writing essays and participating in political seminars, well into his 90s.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP