Days after Colombia’s newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in, and who had vowed a battle against crime as a major part of his campaign, the leader announced the killings of six members of armed groups by Colombian forces on Sunday.
The far-right leader promised a fight against criminal groups that were profiting from drug trafficking as the country experiences its worst wave of violence in the past decade.
In a statement, the far-right leader said the operation was intended to send a clear and forceful message to all criminals in Colombia.
“There is nowhere for them to hide when the State is determined to act. I have given specific instructions to law enforcement agencies to carry out all necessary operations that were held back by the previous administration (of Gustavo Petro),” said De la Espriella.
Related
Sunday’s military operations marked the new administration’s first actions against illegal groups, which campaigned on a pledge to confront “narcoterrorism without truce”.
In a show of force, President Abelardo de la Espriella’s swearing-in ceremony was held in the southwestern city of Cali, which is known for its high violence and crime rates.
De la Espriella wants to build mega-prisons similar to the one in El Salvador and increase airstrikes against guerrillas and narco traffickers.
The six killed by Colombian forces on Sunday include four members of a splinter faction of the former FARC guerrilla group, as well as two members of the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s main drug cartel, in Antioquia department in the northwest.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, De la Espriella’s first day in office was marred by two separate bombings, leaving at least one police officer dead and wounding several people. FARC guerrilla members used explosives to destroy a highway tollbooth near Cali, with two security guards suffering minor injuries, according to Colombia’s army.