World News
Three minors killed in Colombian air strike targeting FARC dissidents
Military operations against armed groups intensify in southern Colombia amid rising concerns over child recruitment.
The short version
- A August 27 Colombian military air strike in Guaviare department killed 10 people, including three minors aged 15 and 16.
- The operation targeted a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla movement that rejected the 2016 peace accord.
- President Abelardo de la Espriella announced a separate strike in the same region that killed eight additional FARC dissidents led by commander Ivan Mordisco.
- Human Rights Watch reported that armed groups have recruited at least 1,500 children since 2021, increasingly using social media platforms to target minors.
Key facts
- Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences confirmed 10 fatalities in an August 27 air strike in Guaviare department.[Al Jazeera]
- The Ministry of National Defence stated that three of those killed in the August 27 operation were minors aged 15 and 16.[Al Jazeera]
- President Abelardo de la Espriella reported a subsequent air strike in Guaviare that killed eight members of a FARC dissident faction led by Ivan Mordisco.[Al Jazeera]
- The Ministry of National Defence reported 24 suspected rebels killed in military operations since de la Espriella assumed office.[Al Jazeera]
- According to a Human Rights Watch report, at least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups in Colombia since 2021, including 625 in 2024.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- It is unknown whether any minors were among the eight FARC dissidents killed in the second air strike reported by President de la Espriella.[Al Jazeera]