A 10-year-old boy died Wednesday in a drone attack targeting soldiers in Colombia, the first death of its kind in the country that has struggled to rein in guerrilla violence.
The defense ministry’s press office said it was the first drone death in Colombia and blamed the attack on a group of dissident guerrillas who broke away from the FARC armed group when it signed a peace deal with the government years ago.
“Young Dylan, age 10, was killed following the launching of grenades by drones targeting” soldiers in the restive southwest department of Cauca, the regional military commander, General Federico Mejia, said in a video on social media.
The grenade fell on a soccer field in the town of El Plateado, a stronghold of the Central General Staff (EMC) rebel group which broke away from FARC.
The explosion also left six wounded, according to the army.
In a social media post, the country’s army commander condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” and said: “We will not rest until we achieve peace.”
Guerrillas are increasingly using commercially available drones to drop explosives on rivals, the BBC reported. In June, the Colombian army reported 17 drone attacks over six weeks, with no resulting deaths. Drones have also been used by Colombia’s government to increase surveillance, the BBC reported.
Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez expressed solidarity with the boy’s family on social media, saying he was killed “during a terrorist attack carried out by the Carlos Patino Front.”
That group, which is involved in drug trafficking, is a hardline faction of the EMC.
“We are reinforcing the military offensive to protect the population and capture those responsible for the attack,” added Velasquez.
The army said on social it had deployed “more than 800 soldiers” in the Cauca department, with a “clear and forceful” mission: to capture and neutralize the rebel leaders.”
A leader of the Carlos Patino Front denied responsibility when contacted by AFP and blamed the army for the attack.
“The community of El Plateado knows the truth,” said Kevin Arcos, a commander with the group.
The regional military commander Mejia said rebels were waging an offensive in El Plateado in retaliation for military operations against the guerrillas “who are at the top of these mountains trying to generate control of illicit economies.”
The Micay Canyon, where El Plateado is located, is a mountainous region blanketed by bright green coca plantations — the main ingredient of cocaine. More than half of the cocaine in the world is produced in Colombia.
Last month, authorities seized two semisubmersible vessels loaded with nearly 5 tons of cocaine off the Pacific coast of Colombia. Authorities said that officers have now seized a total of 13 “narco subs” so far this year.
