Colombian authorities found an explosive device camouflaged in the shape of a children’s ball, designed to explode when touched by minors, during a recent military operation in the municipality of Calamar, in Guaviare province.
This discovery, which shows the complexity and indiscriminate nature of the tactics used by dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), This came as part of the attack that left 19 dead, one and two captured, and three minors recovered..
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The so-called “balloon bomb” was found along with 25 anti-personnel mines. 24 explosive devices and one kilogram of Peruvian pentoliteAccording to information from the time.
The device, which served as an entertainment tool for children, was prepared to explode when hit or kicked, according to military sources reported by the same media. It aimed to victimize children and teenagers in rural communities.
Explosives control experts defused the device in the area of operations, preventing a potential tragedy.
The military operation, carried out from 7 to 11 November 2025, involved military forces and the Colombian National Police, which moved against infrastructure. Martin Villa and Armando Ríos, under the command of the alias Pescado and the alias Jimmy, two men trusted by the alias Ivan Mordesco, Commander of the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident of the FARC.
according to the timeThe first confrontation took place on November 7, with the participation of Joint Task Force Omega and the Joint Special Operations Command.
Later, on 10 November, air support was deployed and up to 70 soldiers were inserted into the target area.
On November 11, authorities transported two adults and three minors to San José del Guaviare to determine their judicial status.
D.W. He adds that the attack, which took place in the village of Itila, included seven aerial bombardments and resulted in the killing of 19 alleged dissident members, one wounding, two being brought to justice, and the recovery of three minors.
This was stated by the Commander of the Military Forces, Admiral Francisco Cupides, in a press conference reported D.W.: “We influence the command and control of that armed group“.
Cupides also explained that the operation was still active in the Guaviare Forest, one of the areas with the largest EMC presence, and that there were around 120 individuals linked to these structures in the area, also facing other armed groups such as the General Staff of Blocks and Fronts (Embf).
The attack is part of Operation Oriel, a long-term inter-institutional operation in the province of Guaviare, directed against organizations integrated into EMC under the command of the alias Ivan Mordescu, according to D.W..
President Gustavo Petro ordered the attack after expressing his disapproval of the failure of the dissidents to adhere to the peace agreements. “It ordered the bombing and dismantling of the military front on which the military forces were located“The president wrote in X, quoted from D.W..
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed in public statements that the attack aims to prevent forced displacement, imprisonment, kidnapping, extortion, terrorism and the recruitment of minors.
He added, “This attack has a huge impact on the security of Colombians, especially in the Guaviare region.”
For his part, Commander Francisco Cupides confirmed that the operation affects the command and control ability of the EMC.
General William Rincon, Director of the National Police, explained the time The strategy is to surround and put pressure on the main leader of the armed group, With the participation of more than 30 intelligence and criminal investigation personnel, they consolidated operational and field reports over a period of more than 530 days. In addition to managing 15 sources of informants about the logistics, finances and internal composition of the Ivan Mordescu Group.
Regarding the seized materials, the operation resulted in Five machine guns, 23 rifles, six short arms, three mortar shells, 73 hand grenades and more than 59 thousand ammunition of different calibres.In addition to supply materials, communications equipment and intelligence documents.
Among the findings were ten agendas containing intelligence-related information, Starlink antennas, walkie-talkies, and multi-purpose vests, all of which were transported to San José del Guaviare for technical analysis.
The effect of the operation was also reflected in the retaliation of the dissidents who, according to what he said the time, They set fire to a peasant’s house in the village of Itila to hide war materials and prevent their seizure, which was reported to the authorities..
The situation of the recovered minors, who were illegally recruited, highlights the danger faced by children and adolescents in conflict areas, while the scale of the attack shows the continuing violence and complexity of the regional scenario.
In the budget presented by Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suarez, it was reported that so far this year, more than 4,000 members of organized armed groups have been neutralized, including members of the Gulf clan, the National Liberation Army and defectors from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, making the current attack one of the most intense in recent years in Colombia.
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