Drone attack on Colombian army base kills three soldiers and wounds 16

A drone attack on a military base in northern Colombia has killed three soldiers and wounded at least 16, the country’s armed forces said. The Colombian military said in a statement on Saturday that the attack hit a base in Santa Rosa del Sur, a small town in the foothills of the San Lucas mountain range.

Authorities have not said who carried out the strike, the latest in a series of attacks on security forces as violence rises across rural parts of the country. The area is rich in gold mines and has long been disputed by rebel armed groups including the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and smaller groups led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Footage shared on social media showed clouds of smoke rising from the base after three explosions, and soldiers taking cover in shelters made of sandbags. “Those who were behind this attack… will have nowhere to hide,” President Abelardo de la Espriella wrote on X.