ELN Drone Attack Kills Three Soldiers in Colombia — SkimNews
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- ELN rebels killed at least three soldiers and injured four in an attack on a military compound in Ocana, Norte de Santander, near the Venezuelan border, with the Colombian army confirming two died in clashes and a third after receiving medical attention.
- AFP, citing an unnamed security official, reported the attackers used at least 20 drones loaded with explosives to strike the compound before fighting moved inside the facility.
- President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack in a social media statement, warning the ELN that "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, who won office pledging to return Colombia to militarized confrontation with armed groups, has seen deadly attacks continue since his inauguration despite his hardline stance.
- The Catatumbo region, where the ELN is based and where the government has carried out military raids, is the epicenter of the renewed conflict.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet de la Espriella — a former lawyer who represented paramilitary leaders — in Barranquilla next week under the "Shield of the Americas" initiative de la Espriella has used to frame closer ties with Washington.
Why it matters: The drone-enabled assault in the Catatumbo region is the first major ELN attack since de la Espriella took office vowing a harder line, and his pledge to escalate risks more violence and rights abuses even as it pulls Colombia closer to US military coordination via the Shield of the Americas initiative.
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