Buenos Aires [Argentina], August 28: Thirty-four soldiers have been kidnapped in southern Colombia following fighting between government forces and a splinter group of the former left-wing guerrilla organization FARC, Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
"We will not yield to criminal pressure," the Ministry of Defence said on X.
"We will defend the life, freedom, and dignity of those who have sworn to serve their country."
On Sunday, the military engaged in a six-hour firefight with the FARC splinter group in the department of Guaviare, south of Bogota, according to Sanchez.
Ten suspected gang members were killed, including a leader of the criminal group.
Colombia was recently shaken by a wave of violence. Last week, 19 people were killed and dozens more injured in an attack by criminals on a police unit during an anti-drug operation in the north of the country and a bomb attack near an air force base in the city of Cali.
Colombia endured a 52-year civil conflict involving leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries, and the military that left about 220,000 people dead and millions displaced.
Although security has improved after a 2016 peace deal between Colombia and the then-largest guerrilla group, FARC, parts of the country are still controlled by illegal groups.
Source: Qatar Tribune
