Drone-Dropped Explosives Kill Three Soldiers in Northeastern Colombia
A drone attack and subsequent clash in a Colombian military compound killed three soldiers and wounded four; authorities blame the ELN rebel group.
At least three Colombian soldiers were killed and four others wounded in an attack on a military compound in the northeastern municipality of Ocaña, according to the army. The assault, which occurred late Friday, involved explosives dropped from drones followed by an exchange of fire inside the base.
Local authorities attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), a rebel group active since 1964. Two soldiers died at the scene, and a third succumbed to injuries after receiving medical attention, the military reported on social media.
President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack, vowing that the state would bring its full force against those responsible for killing security personnel.
The ELN operates extensively in the Catatumbo region, which includes parts of Norte de Santander and Cesar departments. The area also hosts dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that rejected the 2016 peace deal. Both groups compete for control of this strategic corridor, which offers access to the porous Venezuelan border and is a major coca-producing zone.
Recent violence in the region includes an August explosion outside a police station in Cucuta that injured 11 officers and killed a police dog, also blamed on the ELN. Earlier this week, a car bomb outside another police station killed at least one civilian and injured 11 others.