9 Killed in Airstrike on Leftist Armed Group Camp in Colombia

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced on Thursday that an airstrike targeting a camp of leftist rebels in the southwest of the country resulted in 9 deaths.

The operation was conducted against "National Liberation Army" (ELN) rebels in a rural area of the "Cauca" department, a drug smuggling corridor witnessing intense activity by armed groups.

Said the president smiling after receiving the toll, during an event held in the city of "Pereira": "We launched an airstrike last night in the Cauca region, and we took down nine bandits."

A few hours earlier, De la Espriella posted on the "X" platform a video showing him ordering the attack to the Minister of Defense via a radio communication device.

With support from the United States, the right-wing president adopts a firm policy against rebel groups that continued to bear arms following the peace agreement signed in 2016 with the leftist FARC movement.

Air strikes have killed more than 50 people, including at least 7 minors, since the president came to power on August 7.

This is the second airstrike his government has carried out against the "National Liberation Army," an organization inspired by Che Guevara's ideology that frequently targets security forces, political officials, and civilians in areas under its control.

The group finances its activities through drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion.

The "Cauca" region is one of the most widespread areas in Colombia for illicit crops, revenues from which are contested by armed groups.

The "National Liberation Army," the oldest guerrilla movement on the continent, with over six decades of activity, held peace negotiations with the previous left-wing government led by President Gustavo Petro, without reaching an agreement.