Death toll rises to three after drone attack on Colombian military base

Colombia’s Defense Ministry raised the death toll from a guerrilla drone attack on a military base to three on Saturday, after initially reporting two fatalities and five wounded.

The attack took place the previous day at the El Trapiche Military Canton in Catatumbo, an eastern region where Colombian forces are conducting operations against armed groups. The ministry said the dead were one captain and two soldiers. It attributed the attack to rebels from the National Liberation Army, known as the ELN.

“The attack against the El Trapiche Military Canton was carried out using unmanned aircraft equipped with explosive devices,” the ministry said in a statement.

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The attack against the El Trapiche Military Canton was carried out using unmanned aircraft equipped with explosive devices.

Defense Minister Jorge Mora visited the affected area on Saturday. The ministry said military and police units “remain deployed to protect the population, strengthen security, maintain the offensive against ELN structures and locate those responsible for these attacks.”

The attack comes as President Abelardo de la Espriella approaches his first month in office and intensifies aerial bombardments and ground operations against illegal armed organizations operating in Colombia. In August, De la Espriella joined Colombia to the Shield of the Americas, an anti-drug alliance led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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remain deployed to protect the population, strengthen security, maintain the offensive against ELN structures and locate those responsible for these attacks.