Four men from Colombia’s armed forces were killed Sunday in an ambush by members of the Clan del Golfo, Latin America’s largest drug trafficking gang, the military said.
They were a captain, a lieutenant colonel and two soldiers who were “protecting the community of Santa Lucia, in Ituango”, in the county of Antioch (northwest), General Huvenal Zeus, the commander of the armed forces in the area, said via Twitter.
They were killed by gunfire and grenade launchers from inside homes, the senior officer later said in a video he shared with the media.
“The ambush in Ituango (…) was cowardly; we condemn this cowardly attack,” was the reaction of President Ivan Duque via Twitter.
It was the third such operation in two weeks targeting the military’s military; at least seven members of the armed forces were killed, according to the official tally.
They were all committed in the county of Antioch, a zone of influence of Dairo Antonio Ushuga, also known by the pseudonym Otoniel, the leader of the Klan, who was arrested on October 23rd.
According to authorities, the ensuing attacks were in retaliation for the arrest of the country’s top drug lord.
The Klan was formed after the disarmament and disbandment of far-right paramilitary organizations in 2006.
According to the independent research center INDEPAZ, the organization has around 1,600 men. Authorities say it has about 3,800 members, including associates.
Otoniel was arrested in the mountains of Antioch County during a large-scale operation involving some 500 police officers.
According to the Ministry of Defense, about 30% – that is, around 300 tons – of cocaine exported annually from Colombia is exported by the Klan.
The country is considered by the UN to be ranked first in the world in terms of production of this drug.
Otoniel could be extradited to the United States in the coming weeks as courts in Miami and New York charge him with drug trafficking to the country.
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