At least three soldiers have been killed and four wounded in a drone attack on a military compound in north-eastern Colombia, in an assault authorities have blamed on the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN).
Explosives were dropped from drones on the Cantón Militar Trapiche in Ocaña, in the Norte de Santander department, late on Friday. The attack was followed by fighting inside the compound, according to Colombia’s army.
Two soldiers died at the scene and a third succumbed to his injuries while receiving medical treatment. The military identified them as Captain Marco David Pirajón Montezuma and professional soldiers Joel Alberto Jiménez Jaramillo and Jhon Carlos Marrugo Manjarrez.
A Colombian Air Force aircraft was also struck by shrapnel during the attack, according to reports from the scene. The four wounded soldiers were taken for medical care.
The ELN, which has been active since 1964, has not been confirmed as responsible, but local authorities attributed the assault to the group. The military said troops remained engaged in operations in the area following the attack.
President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the killings and vowed a forceful response.
“For every police officer or soldier murdered, we will bring the full weight and legitimate force of the State down upon the criminals,” he said.
Ocaña lies in the Catatumbo region, close to Colombia’s porous border with Venezuela. The area is a major coca-producing zone and has been contested by the ELN and dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which rejected the 2016 peace agreement.
The attack comes amid a surge in violence in Norte de Santander. An explosion outside a police station in Cúcuta in August injured 11 officers and killed a police dog, while a car bomb outside another police station earlier this week killed a civilian and wounded 11 people. Both attacks were also blamed on the ELN.
De la Espriella, who began a four-year term on 7 August, has promised a tougher military campaign against Colombia’s armed groups. He has also said he intends to develop a military alliance with Israel and the United States to support the fight against guerrillas.
