So far in 2026, in the Micay Canyon alone, troops have managed to locate and safely destroy 200 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which were apparently planted by groups working for alias Iván Mordisco to intimidate the population and disrupt security in the region.
In recent hours, during military operations, troops from Rapid Deployment Battalion No. 11, part of Rapid Deployment Force No. 4,
located and carried out the controlled destruction of two victim-activated improvised explosive devices (VOIED), formerly known as anti-personnel mines (APMs), in the township of El Plateado, municipality of Argelia, Cauca.
According to preliminary information, these devices are believed to belong to the Carlos Patiño Structure residual organized armed group (GAO-r), and were found approximately 250 meters from a school in the El Jardín neighborhood and 50 meters from an inhabited home, posing a serious threat to the civilian population.
The proximity of these devices to an educational facility and a residence demonstrates, once again, the indiscriminate risk that these illegal groups pose to communities by attempting to use explosives in areas where civilians are constantly present.
Once the threat was located, the troops immediately implemented the appropriate security measures and carried out a controlled demolition procedure, preventing potential harm to children, families, and residents of this area of the township.
With this result, the National Army neutralizes a latent threat and thwarts the terrorist intentions of this criminal group, which continues to resort to the use of explosive devices to intimidate the population and disrupt security conditions in this area of Cauca.
The National Army will continue to carry out sustained military operations aimed at protecting the civilian population, neutralizing threats, and undermining the activities of organized armed groups operating in the southwestern part of the country. Likewise, it invites the public to promptly report any suspicious activity through the authorized hotlines.
Source:
Third Division Press.
