Attack attributed to ELN leaves two more soldiers dead in Colombia

The ELN claimed responsibility for the attack against the military officials / Photo: EFE

Two Colombian Army soldiers were killed in the Arauca department, bordering Venezuela, in an attack carried out by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas, military sources reported.

The Eighth Division of the Colombian Army reported in a statement that the attack, perpetrated by individuals traveling in a pickup truck, occurred on a highway between Tame and La Cabuya.

The Army, which attributed the attack to the ELN, said that the troops “were the target of an attack with long-range weapons” when they were at a checkpoint.

The Eighteenth Brigade Command activated a lockdown plan, in coordination with the Police, to find those responsible for the crime.

Action to take

They also announced that they will report these crimes to the competent national and international judicial authorities.

The ELN was also accused of the murder of two other soldiers in events that occurred last Friday in the department of Norte de Santander (northeast).

In recent days, the ELN has unleashed a series of actions in various regions of the country and attacked oil pipelines in the departments of Arauca and Norte de Santander.

Last May, the guerrilla group set four conditions to continue at the negotiating table with the government. These included the withdrawal of the ELN from the list of organized armed groups (GAO) and the creation of a fund to finance itself in exchange for ceasing kidnapping for ransom.

He also called for the suspension of government rapprochements with the Comuneros del Sur front (a guerrilla breakaway) and an end to offensive operations by state security forces.

Bogota / EFE