Conflict & Security
Colombia raid kills 20 guerrillas, president says
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said a bombing raid at dawn Monday in Guaviare, southern Colombia, killed 20 guerrillas under the command of the rebel known as Ivan Mordisco.
De la Espriella said in a video on X that authorities also captured five people and rescued two minors. He called those targeted “narco-terrorists.”
The operation is the latest bombing raid on insurgent-controlled areas ordered by his new government and followed two deadly airstrikes against guerrillas earlier in August. De la Espriella has been increasing military operations against armed groups funded by drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion.
Mordisco leads the Central General Staff, or EMC, a dissident group that broke away from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia after the FARC signed a 2016 peace deal. The EMC is one of Colombia's largest outlawed armed groups.
A person from Colombia's forensics authority told AFP that four minors were among the dead in an airstrike last week. Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said Sunday night that 10 people were killed in the August 27 operation in Guaviare.
Rights groups have warned that children and teenagers are increasingly recruited by armed groups through social media. Colombia's ombudsman reported 428 cases of child recruitment by armed groups last year.
Update
The Monday operation is described as the latest bombing raid on insurgent-controlled areas ordered by the new government, not a first raid.
The raid followed two deadly airstrikes against guerrillas earlier in August.
The president is increasing military operations against armed groups funded by drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 September 2026 at 03:50:46 UTC.
Update
President Abelardo de la Espriella said five people were captured in the operation.
De la Espriella said two minors were rescued.
The latest account says the dawn Monday operation in Guaviare was against guerrillas under the command of the rebel known as Ivan Mordisco.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 September 2026 at 02:19:38 UTC.
Update
Colombia's president said government bombing raids killed 20 guerrillas.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 September 2026 at 01:58:10 UTC.
Update
Four minors, not three, were reported killed in the bombing raids.
The minors were described as two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds.
The reported toll from the crackdown rose to 26 suspected rebels killed.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 August 2026 at 22:29:01 UTC.
Update
Colombia's defence ministry said 24 suspected rebels had been killed in operations under President Abelardo de la Espriella.
The military killed six alleged members of different armed groups on August 9, a day after two bombing attacks targeting security forces killed at least one police officer.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 August 2026 at 18:11:04 UTC.
Update
Colombian forensic authorities now say 10 people were killed in the August 27 strike, including three minors.
The strike is described as the deadliest against Colombia's armed groups since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier this month.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 August 2026 at 16:19:45 UTC.
Update
Colombian forensic authorities said three minors were among nine people killed in the August 27 strikes in Guaviare.
The defence ministry said two of the minors were 15 and one was 16.
President Abelardo de la Espriella reported another bombing in the same area against a separate FARC dissident group and said eight members were killed.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 August 2026 at 15:53:52 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The casualty, capture and rescue figures for Monday's raid are attributed to the president and are not independently verified in the supplied material.
The identities and ages of the people captured, rescued or killed in Monday's raid are not fully supplied.
Source
AFP news report published on .