This year 128 arrests have been made in military operations against organized armed groups, GAO (in Spanish), Eln, 'Pelusos', 'Residuales', 'Clan del Golfo' and 'Puntilleros'.
Through a checkpoint on the road that conducts from El Tarra to Tibú (Norte de Santander), soldiers of the National Army disengaged a 14-year-old minor, who had been forcedly recruited by organized armed groups that commit crimes in the Department.
The 14-year-old minor recovered in Norte de Santander, apparently, was part of the Héroes del Catatumbo Company of the GAO Eln, and would have being forced to commit criminal acts in the areas of the urban area of El Tarra, La Campana, El Divino Niño, El Paso, El Salado, Los Cedros, Bellavista and La Motilandia of the Catatumbo region.
In the same way, this young man would be in charge of the transport and commercialization of coca base paste in order to increase the finances of the criminal group to purchase war material that the GAO would to carry out terrorist operations. In the same way he served as liaison with the commissions and networks to support terrorism of this criminal group.
With this disengagement, 24 minors have been recovered this year throughout the country, of the operations of criminal groups that try to use these minors to commit unlawful acts. It is a clear operation by the National Army to preserve the rights of citizens and help restore the rights of children who are victims of the conflict.
This result, added to the 162 voluntary surrenders of GAO members of the ranks of the Eln, 'Pelusos', 'Residuales', 'Clan del Golfo' and 'Puntilleros', and the 128 captures in firefights, show the will of the Army National of Colombia for the unrestricted respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
Source: National Army
