Drone attack on Colombian military base kills at least three soldiers

A drone attack on a Colombian military base has killed at least three soldiers, Al Jazeera and Anadolu Agency reported.

President Abelardo de la Espriella wrote on X that those behind the attack "will have nowhere to hide", according to Al Jazeera, which quoted the post directly.

According to Al Jazeera, Colombia's armed forces said in a statement on Saturday that the attack wounded at least 16 people. Al Jazeera reported that the statement said the attack hit a base in Santa Rosa del Sur. This is a small town in the foothills of the San Lucas mountain range in northern Colombia.

Anadolu Agency's headline says eight soldiers were seriously injured. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not say whether these eight are among the 16 wounded cited by Al Jazeera.

Authorities have not said who carried out the attack, according to Al Jazeera. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not say whether any group has claimed responsibility.

Al Jazeera described footage shared on social media. It showed smoke rising from the base after three explosions, and soldiers taking cover in sandbag shelters. The reports do not describe any independent verification of the footage.

Context

Al Jazeera says the area is rich in gold mines. It has long been contested by armed groups, including the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and smaller groups led by former FARC members.

According to Al Jazeera, a military base in Tolima was targeted the week before with missiles made from gas canisters. Four civilians were killed, including a two-month-old baby. Police in the border city of Cucuta have been attacked several times with remotely activated bombs, Al Jazeera reported.

The conflict monitor ACLED, cited by Al Jazeera, says state forces and illegal armed groups carried out 34 attacks with bombs or explosives in Colombia in the four weeks to 16 October. ACLED says this is a 9 percent increase on last year's four-week average.

Al Jazeera reports that a 2016 peace deal with FARC led to the demobilisation of more than 14,000 fighters. Smaller groups have since fought over the group's former territory.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not give the exact date or time of the attack. They do not name the soldiers who were killed. Beyond Anadolu Agency's report that eight soldiers were seriously injured, they give no further detail on the condition of the wounded. They do not include the full text of the military statement.

What each side says

President de la Espriella wrote on X: "Every attack against our soldiers strengthens our resolve to defend Colombia." Al Jazeera reports that the president, a conservative who took office in August, cancelled peace talks with armed groups. He has also increased air strikes, deployed more troops in some cities and created joint task forces to protect strategic assets such as a pipeline, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Al Jazeera, his government says armed groups used ceasefires granted by the previous government to consolidate control of rural areas, where they tax local businesses and profit from the drug trade.

The reports do not include any statement from armed groups.

Analysis

The attack comes amid what ACLED data, cited by Al Jazeera, describe as a rise in bomb and explosive attacks in Colombia. Because no group has been identified, it is not possible to link the attack to any specific actor or policy. Rising attacks may be read in different ways: as a response to the government's harder security approach, or as a continuation of trends tied to territorial disputes. The reports reviewed do not settle this question. Key open questions include who carried out the attack, the final casualty figures, and whether authorities adjust their security strategy in response.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.