Drone-Dropped Explosives and Subsequent Raid on Military Base in Northeastern Colombia Leave Three Soldiers Dead, Four Wounded
Colombia's army reported on Saturday that an attack involving explosives delivered by drones, followed by a ground assault on a military compound in the northeastern region of the country, killed at least three soldiers and wounded four others.
Local officials attributed the late Friday attack to the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN). The target was a military unit located in the municipality of Ocaña, in the Norte de Santander department, near the Venezuelan border. According to a statement from Colombia's military on X, two soldiers died at the location, and a third succumbed after receiving medical care.
President Abelardo de la Espriella of Colombia denounced the assault, stating: "For every police officer or soldier killed, we will exert the full weight and legitimate force of the state against the criminals."
The ELN, an armed organization that has been active since 1964, maintains a significant presence in the Catatumbo region, which spans parts of the Norte de Santander and Cesar departments. The group also provides refuge to dissident factions of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that refused to participate in the peace agreement signed a decade ago.
These two groups are competing for dominance over the strategically important region, which serves as a connection to the porous Venezuelan border and is one of Colombia's main coca-producing zones.
In August, an explosion near a police station in Cucuta injured 11 officers and resulted in the death of a police dog. Officials similarly pointed to the ELN as responsible for that incident. Earlier in the week, a car bomb detonated outside a police station in northeastern Colombia, killing at least one civilian and injuring 11 others.
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