Colombia in Action: Airstrike Near Venezuela Border

Colombian military conducted bombing raids near the border with Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals. This information was reported by the AFP agency citing a source within the country’s defense ministry. According to the source, nine militants linked to drug trafficking were eliminated during the operation. The source did not specify the exact group to which the deceased belonged. The operation took place in the department of Arauca and was part of President Gustavo Petro’s campaign to combat criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking. AFP also notes that earlier this week, Colombian armed forces carried out airstrikes in the Amazon region, resulting in the deaths of 19 members of a dissident group separated from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Colombia has been in armed conflict with various illegal armed groups for over fifty years. Throughout these decades, more than 260,000 people have died, and millions have been displaced. FARC, founded in 1966 based on peasant communist self-defense squads, had up to 20,000 fighters in its peak years. Prolonged negotiations between authorities and insurgents culminated in the signing of a peace agreement in 2016. After the demobilization of around 13,000 FARC members, the political party Comunes was created from the movement. However, over five thousand former participants returned to guerrilla activities and drug trafficking.