The explosive devices and the means of launching had been planted in an area mined by this structure, putting the inhabitants at serious risk.
Within the framework of focused military operations and as part of the work of the sustained military operation to increase the security and institutional control of the territory, troops of the Rapid Deployment Force No. 6 of the Sixth Division of Colombian National Army, through a tactical maneuver executed by troops of the Rapid Deployment Battalion No. 16, reported a powerful result against the terrorist resources of the residual organized armed group, GAO-r, Raúl Reyes, a faction subordinate to the Calarcá structure.
The result of the military operation was possible thanks to a coordinated work with the Naval Force of the Amazonas and the Air Combat Command No. 6 of the Colombian Aerospace Force, whose intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance resources led to obtaining critical and timely information about unconventional warfare means in the rural area of the municipality of Puerto Guzmán, Alto Barandas village, an area of interest of the military operation prioritized due to the direct damage to people security and freedom.
Once the information was verified, the units conducted an operation that led to the finding, isolation of the area and subsequent controlled destruction of 22 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) fragmentary charge type, along with two rudimentary launching means, used by this illegal armed structure as war mechanisms against the troops and the inhabitants.
These devices, whose rudimentary design reflects a clear intention to cause indiscriminate damage, retained a latent and direct threat, constituting a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the fundamental principles of distinction and humanity, being in rural areas with the presence of peasant people.
For their neutralization, controlled destruction techniques were used, using certified explosive means and personnel specialized in explosive deactivation (EXDE), with the following elements: 62 meters of detonating cord (6 g/m), 4 ¼ pentolite charges, 4 1/8 pentolite charges, 32 meters of safety fuse and 10 non electric detonators.
This operation significantly diminishes the logistical component of this criminal structure, preventing the execution of terrorist acts, strengthening institutional control of the area and restoring the security conditions necessary for the normal development of civilian activities.
This result of the military operation is part of the Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, and shows the inter-institutional synergy capacity of the Military Forces, reflecting an effective model of joint operation conducted by the Sixth Division of Colombian National Army, the Naval Force of the Amazonas and the Air Combat Command No. 6, in the common purpose of safeguarding the life, well-being and freedom of Colombians.
Source: Press - National Army
