Drone attack kills 3 Colombian soldiers as rebel groups develop new lethal capabilities

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian rebels on Monday launched drone strikes that killed three soldiers and injured two others, authorities said, as the use of these weapons becomes increasingly common in the South American country.

Colombia’s army said that the attack took place in Ipiales, a municipality in the southwest of the country that borders Ecuador. It attributed the strike to a group known as Comandos de la Frontera.

“Our operations in the area will continue and we will intensify our offensive in order to locate and neutralize those who were responsible,” the army said in a statement.

Colombia’s military is increasingly facing drone attacks as it fights drug traffickers and rebel groups led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group known as the FARC that signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016.

Colombia’s defense ministry documented 115 drone attacks against its troops in 2024, while President Gustavo Petro said last year 58 soldiers and police officers were killed with these weapons.

Colombian rebel groups are mostly using commercial drones, including photography drones fitted with explosives, to conduct their attacks, according to photos and footage shared by Colombia’s military.

In December, Petro issued an economic emergency decree aimed at raising taxes, saying the government needed to allocate $700 million for equipment that would enable the military to counter drone attacks.

The emergency decree was struck down by Colombia’s Constitutional Court, which said that it did not comply with the conditions required for the president to raise taxes without congressional approval.

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