At least seven Colombian soldiers had been killed and 30 wounded Thursday when a guerrilla group attacked an Army base with drones and explosives, the military stated.
The attack, which occurred at Military Base 27 in the northern division of Cesar, was attributed to the National Liberation Army (ELN), a Colombian group designated a terrorist group by the US State Department and the European Union.
“In this terrorist act, the criminals used drones equipped with improvised explosive devices and carried out the indiscriminate launching of unconventional explosive devices,” the Army stated in an announcement.
According to experiences, the soldiers had been resting in hammocks after a day of coaching once they had been attacked.
The wounded soldiers had been evacuated to medical facilities in the area, whereas Army models carried out operations to safe the realm, in accordance with the military.
The deceased soldiers had been recognized as Jaime Alejandro Cárdenas Ramírez, Mateo Pino Pulgarín, Juan David Pérez Vides, Kevin Andrés Méndez Torres, Jhon Fredy Moreno Sierra, Brandon Daniel Valderrama Martínez and Jorge Mario Orozco Díaz.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez condemned the attack and stated the menace posed by the ELN have to be dismantled. “Failure to do so puts the population at serious risk,” he stated.
The minister added that though the armed forces have prevented “around 95% of drone attacks, this threat has grown exponentially and at a very rapid pace, which seriously jeopardizes national security.”
The attack occurred after the ELN declared a nationwide “armed strike” in protest over what it known as “threats of imperialist intervention” by the United States. The strike prevented civilians from touring and paralyzed every day exercise in areas the place the ELN has affect.
The armed strike was accompanied by violent actions towards infrastructure and public forces.
Authorities stated they’ll launch extra info because the investigation progresses.