A newly leaked Colombian military intelligence report, reviewed by newspaper El Tiempo, documents a dramatic rise in drone attacks carried out by armed groups against police and military forces since the tactic first emerged three years ago.
The first recorded strike took place on July 21, 2023, in a rural area of Putumayo, a southern department bordering Ecuador, when the criminal group Comandos de Frontera used a drone rigged with explosives to attack security forces. That year saw only two such incidents. But the numbers have climbed sharply since: 119 attacks in 2024, 277 in 2025, and 292 so far in 2026—already surpassing last year’s total in under nine months. Overall, 690 drone attacks have been logged since tracking began.
The report highlights how armed factions have adapted commercially available drones, originally used for surveillance, into remote-controlled weapons capable of dropping grenades on military and police targets without exposing the operator.
Dissident FARC factions loyal to alias “Iván Mordisco” are linked to 382 of these attacks in 2025 and 2026 combined, with strongholds in Cauca and other parts of southwestern Colombia. The National Liberation Army (ELN), another major guerrilla group, is tied to 155 attacks over the same period, carried out by several of its regional fronts.
To explore the full data and context behind this escalating threat, read the original report at El Tiempo.
Source: Las cifras del más reciente informe de inteligencia sobre los ataques con drones en Colombia: así escaló la amenaza (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: The National Guard, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).