Three minors killed in Colombian strikes on guerrilla bases

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, September 1, 2026

A Colombian airstrike in the Guaviare region killed ten people, including three minors, targeting dissident FARC guerrillas involved in cocaine trafficking. This marks the deadliest military action under President Abelardo de la Espriella, who has pledged to intensify operations against armed groups accused of recruiting children and perpetuating violence.

Three minors were among ten people killed in a Colombian airstrike targeting cocaine-trafficking guerrillas in the Amazon region last week, according to forensic authorities. The operation, conducted on August 27 in the southern department of Guaviare, was the deadliest strike against armed groups since right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella assumed office earlier this month.

The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences confirmed Sunday that three of the casualties were minors, aged 15 and 16. The victims were reportedly members of a dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which rejected the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC.

President de la Espriella disclosed another bombing in the same region targeting a separate dissident group led by Colombia’s most wanted guerrilla, known by the alias Ivan Mordisco. The president stated that eight members of Mordisco’s faction were killed, but it remains unclear if any of them were minors.

De la Espriella has pledged to intensify military operations against what he describes as “narco-terrorist” organizations, with backing from the United States. A vocal ally of US President Donald Trump, de la Espriella succeeded former leftist leader Gustavo Petro and has framed his campaign against armed groups as a fight to dismantle criminal networks responsible for violence and cocaine trafficking.

“The bandits who for decades have recruited minors to turn them into combatants or human shields must pay for these crimes that violate International Humanitarian Law,” de la Espriella said on the social media platform X.

Human rights organizations have raised alarms about the increasing recruitment of children and teenagers by armed groups in Colombia. A recent report from Human Rights Watch highlighted that minors are sometimes deployed as “cannon fodder” in combat operations. The Ombudsman’s Office also reported 428 cases of child recruitment by armed groups across the country last year, underscoring ongoing concerns about the exploitation of youth in Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.