A soldier of the Colombian Army has lost his life and two others have been injured after the detonation of a minefield placed on the Pan-American highway, the main road corridor of the southwest of the country. After the explosion, authorities have arrested a person for his alleged participation in the placement of the explosive device.
"This morning, in the jurisdiction of Mercaderes, (department of) Cauca, near the border with Nariño, an explosive device has claimed the life of our professional soldier José Manuel López Villada and has left soldiers Yeison Andrés Garzón Moreno and Emerson Otálvaro Rico injured, who are receiving medical attention," reported the country's president, Abelardo de la Espriella, in a message on social media.
After the "verification of the area," the Colombian Army explained that it captured "in flagrante" in the municipality of Taminango, in the department of Nariño, in the northeast of the country, an individual suspected of being involved in the installation of the minefield.
"It will be Justice that determines his responsibility and his possible links with criminal structures," emphasized De la Espriella asserting that he has given the order to "reach those responsible for this crime and establish who planned, financed, and executed it."
The president has reiterated that he will not allow "terrorists to sow mines" on national roads nor "to assassinate those who protect Colombians," and has warned that "for every soldier or police officer they assassinate" they will bring "the full weight and all the legitimate force of the State down upon the criminals."
For its part, the Colombian Army has detailed the detention of another individual on the Pan-American highway, at the height of the Juanambú bridge, in the municipality of Chachagüí, where an improvised explosive device was located and a man was captured in flagrante who, "apparently, was ready to activate it as the troops passed."
According to the military institution, in a statement released on social media, the detainee "would be presumably related to the explosion recorded hours earlier in the Puente de Mayo sector."
"Authorities are advancing in the investigations, while troops maintain military operations to protect the population and the safety of those who transit through this road corridor," concluded the Colombian Army.