As a result of a skirmish in the municipality of Lourdes, in the department of Norte de Santander, the military also managed to capture two other insurgents from the Juan Fernando Porras Front and seized two short-range weapons and six long-range weapons.

The Ministry previously reported the development of an offensive by the National Army, the Air Force, the Police and the Attorney General’s Office against the aforementioned armed group in the area.

It also disclosed that members of the ELN launched four improvised explosive devices against the facilities of the Vulcano Task Force of the 2nd Army Division in the municipality of Tibú, also in Norte de Santander.

The Ministry of Defense assured that according to the first verifications none of the soldiers were affected, and that the servocemen are carrying out an operation in order to locate those responsible for the incident.

Operation Catatumbo is being carried out in the region of the same name in response to the fighting that the ELN unleashed two weeks ago against another armed group, the 33rd Front, causing more than 53 thousand inhabitants of the area to abandon their homes.

According to the Ombudsman’s Office, the conflict caused the death of dozens of people, while more than 25 thousand remain confined to their localities.

In response, the National Army deployed nearly 10 thousand men and heavy artillery in the region as part of an operation that seeks to return normality to the territory.

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