A Colombia drone attack using explosives and a subsequent firefight inside a military installation in northeastern Colombia left at least three soldiers dead and four wounded, the army said Saturday.
Local officials attributed the strike late Friday to the National Liberation Army, or ELN. The assault targeted a military unit in Ocaña, in the department of Norte de Santander near the Venezuelan border. According to the military, two soldiers died at the scene and a third died after receiving medical care.
In a statement, the armed forces identified those killed as Captain Marco David Pirajón Montezuma, Professional Soldier Joel Alberto Jiménez Jaramillo, and Professional Soldier Jhon Carlos Marrugo Manjarrez, noting they died in combat while carrying out their duties.
President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack, saying authorities would bring the full force of the state to bear against those responsible. De la Espriella, who won a close runoff in June and took office on August 7, has aligned Colombia with the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas anti-cartel initiative and has said he aims to pursue a military partnership with Israel and the United States to counter guerrilla groups.
Colombia drone attack blamed on ELN amid regional violence
The ELN, active since 1964, maintains a significant presence in the Catatumbo region spanning parts of Norte de Santander and Cesar. The group also shelters dissident elements of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that rejected the 2016 peace accord. Both are competing for influence in an area that connects to a porous frontier with Venezuela and is a major hub for coca cultivation.
Security incidents in the region have mounted in recent weeks. In August, an explosion outside a police station in Cúcuta wounded 11 officers and killed a police dog, an attack officials also attributed to the ELN. Earlier this week, a car bomb detonated outside another police station in northeastern Colombia, killing at least one civilian and injuring 11 others.
In recent months, authorities in South America and beyond have faced mounting security and justice challenges, from guerrilla violence in Colombia to capital punishment cases such as the Florida execution carried out for a 1976 teen killing in the United States.