Colombia drone attack by suspected guerrillas kills 3 soldiers, army says
Recently elected President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack.
On Saturday, Colombia's army announced that three soldiers were killed and four wounded in an attack involving explosives dropped from drones followed by a clash inside a military compound in the northeastern region. The National Liberation Army (ELN), a rebel group, claimed responsibility for the attack on a military unit in the municipality of Ocaña, situated in the Norte de Santander department, which shares a border with Venezuela.
Two soldiers perished at the scene, while a third succumbed to injuries received at a medical facility. The military mournfully noted that Captain Marco David Pirajón Montezuma, Professional Soldier Joel Alberto Jiménez Jaramillo, and Professional Soldier Jhon Carlos Marrugo Manjarrez were all killed during the engagement in combat.
President Abelardo de la Espriella expressed his condemnation, vowing that for every life lost, the full force of the State will be unleashed upon the criminals. De la Espriella, a self-made millionaire who received President Trump's endorsement, assumed office in August, pledging to forge military alliances with Israel and the U.S. to combat Colombia's guerrillas.
The Catatumbo region, where the attack occurred, is a hotspot for the ELN and its dissident FARC factions, both vying for control of the region, which is a significant coca-producing area and connects to the porous Venezuelan border.
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