Colombian President Vows Escalated Operations Against ELN After Drone Swarm Attack

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to step up operations against armed groups after a drone swarm attack on a military compound killed three soldiers and injured four others.

The assault comes as Colombia is grappling with what has been described as its worst wave of violence in a decade. In August, an explosion outside a police station in Cucuta injured 11 officers and killed a police dog. Earlier this week, a car bomb outside another police station in the northeast killed one civilian and injured 11 others.

The latest attack occurred on Friday night at the El Trapiche military post in Ocana, in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander, according to Colombian authorities.

At least 20 UAVs were used in the assault, AFP reported. Explosives dropped from the drones struck barracks and other parts of the base before a firefight broke out. Two soldiers died at the scene and a third passed away after receiving medical attention. A Colombian Air Force helicopter was also hit by shrapnel.

The Colombian military “categorically” condemned what it called a “terrorist action” and attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's last major active leftist guerrilla organization.

“To the ELN I say with absolute clarity: for every police officer or soldier you kill, I will bring down on you the full weight and legitimate force of the State,” De la Espriella wrote on social media.

The president pledged a new strategy for Catatumbo targeting the ELN’s leadership, organizational structures, finances, and illicit revenue.

“We will put an end to that cancer of narco-terrorism that for decades has bled Catatumbo and Colombia dry,” he added.

Founded in 1964 with the hopes of overthrowing the national government and establishing a Cuban-style socialist state, the ELN later turned to the narcotics trade. It has fought FARC dissidents for control of Catatumbo, a major coca-growing region and drug-trafficking corridor along the Venezuelan border.

De la Espriella, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, took office last month after campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform and has intensified military operations against armed groups.

His government has also pursued closer cooperation with Washington through the US-led “Shield of the Americas” anti-cartel alliance, which includes Argentina, Ecuador, and El Salvador. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet De la Espriella in Barranquilla next week.