A new and increasingly sophisticated threat is spreading across Colombia: attacks carried out by drones rigged with grenades and other explosives. According to reporting from El Tiempo, armed groups have begun using modified commercial drones, homemade aircraft assembled from spare parts, agricultural drones, and even fiber-optic-guided systems to strike military and police installations. In some cases, attackers deploy several drones nearly simultaneously in so-called “swarm” attacks, a tactic designed to overwhelm anti-drone defense systems.
The most recent strike hit a military base in Ocaña, in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander, on a recent Friday night. After explosions rocked the installation, a Colombian Army patrol went out to check the perimeter and clashed with suspected members of the ELN guerrilla group. Three soldiers, including a captain, were killed and four others were wounded.
What was once a threat largely confined to the Cauca, Catatumbo, and southern Bolívar regions has now spread to at least 14 of Colombia’s 32 departments. In Tolima, dissident factions of the FARC loyal to alias “Iván Mordisco” have used explosive drones against police convoys and stations. In Cesar, similar attacks have killed and wounded officers in towns including Curumaní and Pelaya. The wave of violence prompted an emergency security meeting in Valledupar, after which President Abelardo De La Espriella—barely a month into office—ordered the deployment of anti-drone systems and reinforced protection for security forces nationwide.
Read the full investigation at El Tiempo.
Source: Ataques con drones: la ‘muerte que cae del cielo’ y que amenaza a más de 14 departamentos (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Staff Sgt. Jaccob Hearn.