Colombia Expands Cross-Border Offensive Against ELN

(MENAFN) The government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has authorized a targeted airstrike against a high-value camp belonging to the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the Catatumbo region near the Venezuelan border, marking an escalation in military pressure on the armed group.

According to reports, the operation was carried out in a rural area of Tibú in Norte de Santander during the early hours of Monday and focused on a security unit linked to the guerrilla organization’s central command structure. The strike is described as the third aerial bombing approved by the current administration this year, reflecting a broader intensification of military action against the group.

Officials confirmed that the operation was conducted in close coordination with Venezuelan authorities, highlighting expanded security cooperation across the shared border region, which has long been affected by armed group activity and illicit economies.

The strike reportedly coincided with parallel security operations on the Venezuelan side of the frontier, suggesting synchronized action against the armed network operating across both territories.

In statements cited by reports, Petro defended the decision as consistent with existing understandings between Bogotá and Caracas and rejected claims that the ELN remains within any active peace framework.

He further argued that groups maintaining control over illegal economies while refusing disarmament agreements cannot be considered part of any peace arrangement, and accused the ELN of undermining trust through attacks on civilians in the Catatumbo region.

The ELN has been engaged in an ongoing territorial conflict with rival armed factions in this strategically important border area, which has seen repeated outbreaks of violence and displacement in recent years.

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