Four soldiers were killed this Sunday in Colombia in an ambush by the "
Clan del Golfo
", the largest group of drug traffickers in this country, the army said.
It is about a captain, a corporal and two men of the rank "
who protected the community of Santa Lucia in Ituango
", in the department of Antioquia (north-west), wrote on Twitter the general Juvenal Diaz, the commander of the armed forces in that region.
Read alsoThe fall of the most powerful Colombian drug trafficker
They were killed by gunfire and grenades coming from houses, the officer later said in a video sent to media.
“
The ambush in Ituango (...) is despicable;
we condemn this cowardly attack (...)
”, for his part reacted President Ivan Duque on Twitter.
This is the third attack in two weeks against soldiers, of which at least seven in total were killed, according to an official report.
All took place in the department of Antioquia, the area of influence of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, known as Otoniel, the leader of the “
Clan del Golfo
”, captured on October 23.
For the authorities, these attacks are retaliation after the arrest of the top drug lord.
300 tonnes of cocaine per year
The “
Clan del Golfo
” was created following the demobilization in 2006 of far-right paramilitaries. According to the independent think tank Indepaz, this organization has some 1,600 men. The authorities estimate for their part that it has 3,800 members, including collaborators. Otoniel was arrested in the mountains of Antioquia during a massive operation involving 500 police officers.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, 30% of the cocaine that leaves Colombia each year is exported by the "
Clan del Golfo
", or about 300 tonnes.
This country is considered by the UN as the world's largest producer of this drug.
Otoniel could be extradited in the coming weeks to the United States, where he is wanted by courts in Miami and New York for drug trafficking.
