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Colombia air strike kills 19 in raid on Farc dissident camp
A military air strike on a suspected rebel camp in Colombia's Guaviare province has killed at least 19 people, according to the country's armed forces. The operation targeted a dissident faction of the former Farc guerrilla group, which remains active in drug trafficking and armed insurgency.
Shift in military strategy follows collapsed peace talks
President Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first left-wing leader, had previously avoided authorizing air strikes against rebel strongholds. However, after peace negotiations with multiple armed groups-including the targeted faction-collapsed earlier this year, Petro approved the offensive. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez stated the strike was justified by an "imminent threat" the group posed to civilians and security forces.
The camp belonged to a splinter group led by Iván Mordisco, a former Farc commander who rejected the 2016 peace accord with the government. Mordisco, now considered Colombia's most powerful dissident rebel leader, oversees operations in illegal mining, extortion, and cocaine trafficking, Sánchez said, calling him "one of the most dangerous criminals" in the country.
Operation frees child recruits as forced conscription rises
During the raid, security forces detained three suspected militants and rescued three children who had been forcibly recruited by the group. Rights organizations have documented a surge in child conscription by armed factions in recent years, with victims as young as nine either kidnapped or deceived with false promises.
"Supplies have stabilized, but conservation remains essential."
Catalan Water Agency
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US-Colombia tensions escalate over drug policy
The strike follows mounting pressure from the United States, which has accused Petro of allowing drug cartels to expand operations. Last month, the US Treasury imposed financial sanctions on Petro's government, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alleging Colombia had "refused to stop" cartel activity. Colombia remains the world's top cocaine producer.
Petro has countered by condemning US-led strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which have killed at least 76 people. On Tuesday, he ordered a halt to intelligence-sharing with US agencies, arguing on X (formerly Twitter) that anti-drug efforts "must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people." He previously labeled US operations as "murder."
Background: From peace talks to military confrontation
Mordisco's faction was among the armed groups that entered negotiations with Petro's government after his 2022 inauguration, part of his "total peace" initiative. Talks collapsed after six months when Mordisco walked out. The government later blamed his group for a deadly August explosion at a military base in Cali.
At the time, Petro dismissed Mordisco as "a drug trafficker disguised as a revolutionary," a characterization echoed by Sánchez in Tuesday's statements.
