Drone Attack on Colombian Army Post Kills 3 Soldiers in Santa Rosa del Sur; Minister Blames ELN

A drone attack on an army post in Santa Rosa del Sur, in Colombia’s Bolívar department, killed three soldiers and injured dozens of people around midday Saturday, Nov. 7, Colombian authorities said, according to Infobae and El Espectador. Defense Minister Jorge Mora, a retired general, said the attack would have been retaliation by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, for the capture of a local commander, El Espectador reported.

Related: Truck Bomb Near a Colombian Army Base Kills 4, Including a 2-Month-Old.

What we know

Explosive-carrying drones hit the Santa Rosa del Sur army post, Infobae reported, citing the military. The attack came while authorities held a security council meeting at the mayor’s office after three people were killed there on Nov. 6, according to Infobae.

Footage shared on social media showed smoke rising from the base after three explosions, Al Jazeera and The Associated Press reported. Soldiers were seen taking cover in sandbag shelters, the report said. The injured were taken to medical centers in the municipality and in Bucaramanga, Infobae reported.

How many were hurt: the figures differ

• 47 injured, 16 of them seriously: the army’s latest count, Infobae reported.
• 16 seriously injured and 31 others affected: official figures cited by Infobae in a separate report.
• More than 35 injured: the mayor of Santa Rosa, as cited by El Espectador.
• More than 30 injured: authorities, as reported by El Espectador.
• At least 16 wounded: Colombia’s armed forces, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Associated Press.
• 8 injured: an early army report, according to a headline in El Tiempo.

The death toll of three was consistent across those reports.

The minister’s account

Mora said the attack “would be” retaliation for the capture of alias Carrito, whom he described as head of the ELN’s Guamocó Resistance Front, El Espectador reported. Mora said Carrito was responsible for the illegal finances of the group’s Northeastern Bloc, according to Infobae.

The minister said the government would deploy all the capabilities of the security forces to find those responsible, Infobae reported. “There will be no truce,” he said, in a translation of his statement. President Abelardo de la Espriella wrote on X that those behind the attack “will have nowhere to hide,” Al Jazeera reported.

The attribution to the ELN is the minister’s statement. The Boston Report could not confirm it independently.

A contested region

Colombia’s human rights ombudsman’s office said “these events are not isolated,” according to Infobae’s account of its statement. The office said fighting among the ELN, the Gulf Clan and FARC dissidents led by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, known as Calarcá, had worsened conditions in southern Bolívar, Infobae reported.

The area is rich in gold mines and has long been disputed by armed groups, Al Jazeera reported. Violence has intensified in several rural areas since de la Espriella took office in August, the outlet said.

State forces and illegal armed groups carried out 34 attacks with bombs or explosives in Colombia in the four weeks to Oct. 16, according to data from ACLED cited by Al Jazeera. That was 9% above last year’s four-week average, the outlet reported.

What happens next

Colombian authorities have said they will pursue those responsible. For more coverage, see Latin America and Caribbean news and Military news.

Sources

• Infobae: Ministro de Defensa atribuyó al ELN el ataque contra el cantón militar de Santa Rosa del Sur
• Infobae: Defensoría del Pueblo reaccionó al ataque con explosivos en Santa Rosa del Sur
• El Espectador: Mindefensa atribuye al Eln ataque con drones a cantón militar de Santa Rosa
• Al Jazeera (with The Associated Press): Drone attack on Colombian army base kills three soldiers and wounds 16
• El Tiempo: Ejército reporta 3 militares asesinados y 8 heridos en atentado con drones explosivos en el cantón de Santa Rosa, Bolívar

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.