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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the far-right leader said the operation was intended to send a clear and forceful message to all criminals in Colombia.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Related<\/strong><\/p>\n Sunday’s military operations marked the new administration’s first actions against illegal groups, which campaigned on a pledge to confront “narcoterrorism without truce”.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n De la Espriella wants to build mega-prisons similar to the one in El Salvador and increase airstrikes against guerrillas and narco traffickers.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n