The president of Colombia, Abelardo De la Espriella, has communicated this Thursday that the city of Cúcuta, in the north of the country, will come under "immediate and temporary" control of the Army as a reaction to Tuesday’s attack, in which at least six people died, among them four police officers. This is the second time in the last month that the president has ordered the "militarization" of a Colombian city with the aim of reinforcing the offensive against "narcoterrorism".
In a public statement, De la Espriella has detailed that "The National Army will reinforce its presence in the city, in coordination with the National Police, to strengthen territorial control, protect citizens and confront the criminal and narcoterrorist structures that have been attacking security".
The head of state has also specified that, starting next Tuesday, November 3, a joint operation will be launched in the capital of the department of Norte de Santander, bordering Venezuela, in which the Army, the Police and the Urban Security Operational Bloc (Bosur) will participate, a tactical unit created by the president himself for this type of deployment.
According to De la Espriella, "These capabilities will make it possible to intensify operations against terrorism, pursue those responsible for the violence, strike criminal finances and dismantle the organizations that seek to subdue the population".
This decision comes almost a month after the president ordered the militarization of Santa Marta, in the department of Magdalena, following the announcement of an armed strike by the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN), known as 'Los Pachenca', a group that operates mainly in the northern area of the country.