Drone Attack on Colombian Army Base Kills 3 Soldiers, Seriously Wounds 16
Colombia's Army First Division said in a statement on November 7 that a military compound in Santa Rosa del Sur, in the southern part of Bolívar department in northern Colombia, was attacked at about 12:30 p.m. that day by unmanned aircraft fitted with explosive devices, killing three service members. The army later updated its count: 16 more soldiers were seriously wounded and taken to different medical centers, and 31 other members of the unit were affected.
The compound is home to the army's 48th Jungle Infantry Battalion. In its press statement No. 007, the army said the drones had been modified to carry explosive devices and struck while troops were at lunch. The army called the assault a terrorist attack and a serious violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, said security protocols were activated after the strike, and asked the public to share information through its 107 counterterrorism hotline.
Milton Olaya, the mayor of Santa Rosa del Sur, gave a preliminary count at the municipal hospital of about 35 wounded attended, five of whom needed transfer to higher-level medical centers. Bolívar Governor Yamil Arana later put the total number of wounded at 47, in line with the army's figures for the seriously wounded and others affected. The army did not release the names of the soldiers killed.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack on the social platform X, calling it a cowardly terrorist attack, saying those behind it would have nowhere to hide, and ordering intensified operations in the region.
No group had claimed responsibility as of the statement, and the army named no suspects. Colombia's Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) said the Gulf Clan criminal group, the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and dissident factions of the former FARC operate in southern Bolívar and fight over territorial control; the office also said a security council had been meeting at the mayor's office that day to discuss the killing of three people in the area the previous day.
According to Spain's El País, the Ideas for Peace Foundation has counted a rapid rise in drone attacks in Colombia: 119 in 2024, 277 in 2025 and 351 in 2026 through November 2. (Source: Colombian Army)
Source: Colombian Army
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：哥伦比亚陆军士兵在演练中从直升机上机降（资料图，非袭击现场）。Isabella Youngblood 摄，美国陆军/DVIDS，公共领域。 / Photo: Colombian Army soldiers during a training exercise (file photo, not the attack scene). Photo by Isabella Youngblood, U.S. Army/DVIDS, public domain.
