Overview
- Colombia’s army said the remaining 45 soldiers were released on Monday after 27 were freed Sunday, confirming all 72 are now safe and transported to Popayán.
- The troops were seized during a military operation in the Micay canyon, where civilians detained them in a zone influenced by ex-FARC dissidents and cocaine production.
- Military officials earlier reported that roughly 600 people obstructed the mission, which targeted routes used for drug trafficking and illegal mining.
- President Gustavo Petro urged residents to free the soldiers and later said seven other service members remain held by civilians in separate incidents elsewhere in the country.
- The episode follows similar detentions in June in the same sector and in late August in Guaviare, highlighting persistent challenges to Petro’s 2024 push to reassert state control.