At least three people have lost their lives in an airstrike carried out with Kfir planes, Super Tucano, and Black Hawk helicopters against a camp of the 33rd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the Catatumbo region, in the department of Norte de Santander. This is the fourth offensive of this type carried out since Abelardo de la Espriella took office as President.
The camp, where more than 20 members of this guerrilla structure were located, was situated in the border area between Tibú and El Tarra. The bombing began around 1:00 AM on Sunday and was made possible after several weeks of surveillance by military intelligence and the Police, as authorities have emphasized.
After the initial attack, airborne units of the Army burst into the area and seized various war and logistical materials, recovered during the ground phase of the operation.
The offensive was directly authorized by President Abelardo de la Espriella, who conveyed the order to Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora, as seen in a video circulated on social media.
"Last night, while many Colombians were resting, I directly issued the order to carry out a bombing operation in Norte de Santander (...). There are no schedules to defend Colombia, nor breaks when it comes to confronting those who sow terror!" he explained on social media.
The blow against the 33rd Front constitutes the second bombing carried out in the Catatumbo region since De la Espriella assumed the Head of State on August 7. The first took place on August 10 against positions of the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The other two air operations took place in the department of Guaviare, one directed against the group known as 'Calarcá' and the other against the structure of alias 'Iván Mordisco'. Together, these three previous actions left more than 40 dead, including six minors.
The 33rd Front is part of the General Staff of the Blocks and Fronts (EMBF), led by 'Calarcá', a splinter group of the Central General Staff (EMC) of the FARC, commanded by Néstor Vera Fernández, alias 'Iván Mordisco'.