Doha: The Colombian government announced on Tuesday that 34 soldiers were kidnapped in an area controlled by a rebel movement in the south of the country.
According to Qatar News Agency, Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that the military would deploy all its resources to secure the release of the soldiers held captive in Guaviare province. He also announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the rebel leaders who orchestrated the incident.
“This is an illegal, criminal action by people in civilian clothing,” Sanchez said during a press conference. He noted that the soldiers were detained near the village of El Retorno on Sunday, following an armed clash in which 10 members of a dissident group from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were killed.
The Colombian army has intensified its operations against the Central General Staff (EMC), led by Ivan Mordisco. This escalation follows a truck bomb attack last Thursday by the rebel movement, which resulted in six deaths and wounded 60 others in Cali, the country’s third-largest city by population.
Authorities have arrested two EMC members linked to the attack, which took place in front of the military aviation school. Additionally, on the same day, near Medellin, the country’s second-largest city, 13 police officers were killed during a shootout, and an explosive drone targeted a helicopter supporting a coca eradication campaign.
Colombia has faced ongoing challenges in maintaining security in rural areas, where drug gangs and rebel groups vie for control of territories previously held by the FARC before the peace agreement with the government was signed in 2016.