The fighting between the National Army and the ELN in Tame lasted from early hours until late at night on Sunday, March 19. The General Rafael Navas Pardo Engineer Battalion No. 18 of the municipality was attacked with explosives during the night, after the operations in the rural area.
As reported by the Quirón Task Force, “in a possible terrorist action, apparently members of the organized armed group GAO ELN, launched a taco towards the facilities of the Canton of Tame”, but this did not leave any injuries or affect the infrastructure.
The explosive devices would have been thrown by unknown men from outside the military headquarters, around midnight on Sunday. The event produced maximum alert within the battalion of the Eighth Division of the Army, according to Semana, but the attack was unsuccessful.
Apparently there were two tatucos that the criminals used to attack the military force in the west of the department of Arauca. These are handcrafted explosive devices made from gas cylinders that can be highly powerful in causing damage.
It may interest you: Influencer Libardo Isaza implores for the life of his brother, a soldier wounded by a sniper in Saravena
Two of these explosives were reportedly thrown at the Navas Pardo Battalion, according to La Prensa Araucana, and although they did not affect the military unit, they did cause fear in the surrounding population due to the detonation and the possibility of continued attacks.
On March 19, the Police, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Army carried out a joint operation against an ELN structure that had carried out criminal actions in the municipality of Tame. These came forward from hours of the morning and provoked strong clashes throughout the morning of Sunday.
“In the midst of these events, two members of the ELN were killed in the development of military operations and weapons, ammunition of different calibers, communications equipment, quartermaster material, and two vehicles were seized,” said the General Command of the Military Forces.
In the middle of the fighting, Second Sergeant Franklin Montaña Pacagui, who was part of a group of soldiers deployed to protect the civilian population, was assassinated. In the same events, two more soldiers were injured, but after medical attention it was determined that they were out of danger.
The communities of the Filipinas village witnessed the exchange of fire between the insurgents and the Army, even against the helicopters that were deployed to provide support. According to the military institution, the guerrillas used civilian houses to attack the aircraft from there, which constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
The FARC dissidents with whom the ELN has held strong disputes for control of the territory also have a presence in the department. In addition, offensive actions against the oil infrastructure and the civilian population have continued.
This year there have already been five uniformed officers injured by violent actions in the department, according to Semana. Mainly in the municipality of Saravena, where harassment against the public forces has also been reported with cylinders.
On February 21, members of the ELN threw cylinders against the Reveiz Pizarro Military Fort, although the result of the event was no greater than the detonation and alert, since no injured persons appeared. On March 14, the events were repeated in the military canton of San Jorge de Saravena. There a man was wounded by shearing from an explosive thrown at the unit.
Given the recent events, the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, asked the armed groups, especially those included in the National Government’s Total Peace policy, to show real gestures of their willingness to overcome the conflict. with Infobae