Colombian military rescues 27 abducted soldiers, dozens remain captive

In a region dominated by rebel fighters and a critical area for cocaine production, Colombian authorities have rescued 27 of the country’s 72 soldiers who were being held captive in southwest Colombia.

The military stated in a statement on Sunday that 45 soldiers are still “deprived of their liberty” by the guerrilla regime.

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The National Army is “holding steady in the area, ensuring the return of the kidnapped personnel,” it continued.

A rebel group from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as the Central General Staff, has been attacking military positions in the Micay Canyon in the Cauca Department, which is known for its coca crops.

The soldiers were participating in a military operation when about 600 people “obstructed the deployment of troops” in San Juan de Micay, according to the army.

The move was “intentionally facilitated control of routes used for illegal mining and drug trafficking,” according to the army.

Colombia has struggled to maintain security in some rural areas, where FARC-abandoned territory is being fought over by drug gangs and rebel groups.

President Gustavo Petro launched an offensive to regain control of the area last year, but he was met by strong local opposition.

Petro claimed in a post on X that the soldiers should be freed.

They might be your children, I say. Colombian children must be a part of each other’s lives and surpass their own. He wrote that the president’s word was that the dialogue commission was prepared.

In areas with little state presence, the government claims that armed groups frequently hold detentions in the neighborhood community.

However, a defunct FARC group has captured soldiers twice in less than a month.

After a gunfight that left 10 members of the former FARC group dead, villagers in the southern department of Guaviare last month took 33 soldiers from them at the rebel group’s direction.