Bogotá (AFP) – An explosive attack attributed to FARC dissidents killed four people in western Colombia, including a two-month-old baby, the Ministry of Defense reported on Monday.
First modification: 02/11/2026 - 23:19
Since coming to power in August, right-wing president Abelardo de la Espriella has promoted an offensive against guerrilla camps that have already left dozens dead, including at least eight minors.
At the same time, armed groups have continued attacks with explosives. At least four attacks occurred in the last week. In one of them a police officer died.
"These crimes will not go unpunished!" De la Espriella wrote in X.
The president called the latest attacks "cowardly narcoterrorist attacks."
The most recent attack occurred on Sunday night in the municipality of Planadas, in the south of the department of Tolima, around a military base.
The Ministry of Defense attributed the explosions to "members of the Gerónimo Galeano structure", a dissident group of the FARC, the guerrilla that signed a peace agreement in 2016.
A truck loaded with explosives exploded and caused damage to a hospital and several homes, reported the mayor of Planadas, Juan Camilo Hueje. The streets were covered in rubble.
In a video you can see a woman screaming in despair, while a man pulls a small body wrapped in a blanket from the rubble.
"We will intensify operations"
The explosion left 17 people injured, according to the Defense Ministry, which deployed a field hospital to care for those affected.
Images appear of people bloodied and lying in the middle of stone blocks.
It was "a vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute force," he wrote in X Matiz. "Attacking against the civilian population, against our soldiers and the families of Tolima is crossing a line that we will not tolerate," he added.
De la Espriella warned that he will intensify the fight against criminal groups.
"We will continue with the bombings against legitimate military targets, we will intensify special operations and we will advance in the reactivation of fumigations in accordance with the law," said the president.
According to Hueje, in addition to the truck with explosives, drones were also seen "flying over" the urban area of Planadas. These devices are increasingly used by armed groups in Colombia.
On Friday, De la Espriella ordered the militarization of Cúcuta, the main city on the border with Venezuela due to an increase in attacks.
In September, it deployed military forces in the tourist town of Santa Marta after a wave of attacks on businesses and vehicles unleashed by a drug trafficking gang.
© 2026 AFP
The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.
