Drone attack blamed on guerrillas kills at least three soldiers in Colombia

At least three Colombian soldiers were killed after explosives dropped from drones were followed by a clash inside a military compound in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander.

The attack took place late Friday at a military unit in the municipality of Ocaña, near the border with Venezuela. Colombia’s army said two soldiers died at the site and a third died after receiving medical attention. Four others were wounded.

Local authorities blamed the National Liberation Army, or ELN, for the attack. President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the violence and promised 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.

Much of the ELN’s presence is concentrated in the Catatumbo region, which covers parts of Norte de Santander and Cesar. The group also includes dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that rejected the peace agreement reached a decade ago.

The ELN and those factions are competing for control of the strategic area, which links to Venezuela through a porous border and is one of Colombia’s main coca-producing zones. The latest attack follows other recent violence in the region. In August, an explosion outside a police station in Cúcuta injured 11 officers and killed a police dog. Earlier this week, a car bomb outside another police station killed at least one civilian and injured 11 people.

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For every police officer or soldier murdered, we will bring the full weight and legitimate force of the state down upon the criminals.