The Armed Forces of Colombia carried out a bombing this Thursday on positions of the National Liberation Army (ELN) located in a border area between the departments of Cauca and Nariño. The operation, which is part of the air offensive ordered by President Abelardo de la Espriella against these armed groups since his arrival to power, has resulted in the death of nine of its members.
De la Espriella confirmed on his social networks the death of "nine members of the narcoterrorist group," including Neftalí Riascos Alegría, alias 'Marcos Pacífico', one of the main leaders of the organization. However, he specified that the data released is preliminary and pending "fingerprint" verification.
The president emphasized that "this criminal was the military responsible for the Southwestern War Front of the ELN, the highest chief of the José María Becerra front and responsible for directing three narcoterrorist fronts operating in Cauca, Nariño, and Valle del Cauca."
According to reports from Colombian authorities, the Southwestern War Front has about 470 armed combatants, divided into two companies and three fronts. One of them, the José María Becerra, has 230 members, making it the largest in the structure.
De la Espriella holds 'Marcos Pacífico' responsible for "kidnappings, attacks, and assaults" against security forces in Cali and Buenaventura, as well as for the formation of "the urban militias of the ELN" during the protests recorded in 2022.
Hours before the attack, the president shared a video on social media in which he staged the order given to Defense Minister Eduardo Mora to activate the new military operation. In that recording, he insisted that "In my government, there is no truce against terrorism!".
According to Colombian media, the offensive, prepared for more than four weeks with support from U.S. Intelligence services, also had among its objectives the 'number two' of the Southwestern War Front, Oliverio Orfilio Pai Rodríguez, known as 'Chuki' or 'Elder'.
For months, this region in the southwest of the country has been experiencing a resurgence of clashes between the ELN and the dissidence of the Central General Staff (EMC), led by 'Iván Mordisco', who are competing for drug trafficking routes and other illegal economies, especially in the strategic Micay canyon.
This airstrike is the first executed in Nariño within the operational plan announced by De la Espriella against armed organizations. The president had already inaugurated this new phase of bombings on August 10, just three days after taking office, with an offensive against the ELN in the department of Guaviare.
The previous bombing took place two weeks ago in the troubled area of Catatumbo, in Norte de Santander, against positions of Front 33, a faction of the dissidence of the General Staff of the Blocks and Fronts (EMBF) of 'Calarcá'. In that action, four people died, including a minor.
The increasing incorporation of minors into these armed groups, in many cases the result of forced recruitment, is one of the main arguments of those who question this type of airstrike. Despite this, both the current Executive and previous ones defend that the operations are carried out under a strict protocol.
In the absence of definitive data, the five bombings ordered so far by De la Espriella have caused nearly 60 deaths, according to the provisional balance handled by the authorities.