A truck bomb exploded near a military base in the Colombian town of Planadas on Sunday, killing four people, including a two-month-old baby girl.
The explosion wounded at least 17 others and damaged a hospital and nearby homes, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Tolima Governor Adriana Magali Matiz she wrote on X that the bombing was "a vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute forcefulness."
¡Rechazamos con absoluta contundencia este cobarde acto terrorista en Planadas! No hay ninguna causa, ideología ni brazalete que justifique tanta barbarie y crueldad contra la población civil.
— Adriana Magali Matiz 🇨🇴 (@AdrianaMatizTol) November 2, 2026
Las mafias del narcotráfico y la minería ilegal están sembrando muerte y terror en… pic.twitter.com/b1XfLSXJpM
The strike hit the southern Tolima municipality on Sunday night, according to Colombian outlet El Tiempo. Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje said explosive-laden drones appeared to have been used in the attack. A fire also broke out at a pharmacy. (RELATED: Texas Claims Rio Grande Islands In Fight Against Cartels)
The Defense Ministry blamed a splinter faction of the former FARC guerrilla army, which disarmed under a 2016 peace deal, according to AFP.
The attack followed a security push by right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, who has intensified operations against leftist, cocaine-linked insurgents, AFP noted. He scrapped every peace negotiation after taking power in August and ordered repeated airstrikes on guerrilla camps.
De la Espriella blamed "narcoterrorists" for the recent assaults and declared on X, "WE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!"
¡AL NARCOTERRORISMO LO VAMOS A ENFRENTAR CON TODO EL PODER DEL ESTADO!
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) November 2, 2026
Los cobardes atentados narcoterroristas perpetrados en Planadas, Tolima; Algeciras, Huila; y Balboa, La Sierra y Totoró, Cauca, contra la población civil y nuestra Fuerza Pública, NO QUEDARÁN IMPUNES.
En… https://t.co/5mu8jwij4M
He took office on Aug. 7 after a narrow runoff victory over leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, according to bne IntelliNews. U.S. President Donald Trump gave him a "complete and total endorsement" ahead of the June vote.
The Planadas bombing was one of four guerrilla strikes in a single week, AFP reported. A police officer, Julian Esmith Castano Lopez, died over the weekend when an explosives-laden motorbike detonated during Halloween festivities in Algeciras, in neighboring Huila department, Anadolu Agency reported. The attack injured six other officers as well, according to the BBC.
Colombia's Army Fifth Division denounced the Planadas attack as terrorism, according to Anadolu Agency. De la Espriella also reported strikes across three municipalities in Cauca department.
The dissident holdouts have expanded their use of drones for surveillance and attacks, according to AFP. De la Espriella sent troops into Cucuta on the Venezuelan border last week as violence there climbed.
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