Colombia Opens Military Probe Into Deadly Airstrike as Child Toll Rises to 15

Overview

• Colombia’s Military and Police Attorney General’s Office opened an inquiry into the Oct. 10 Guaviare strike to determine whether it complied with use-of-force standards after reports that seven forcibly recruited minors were among 19 dead.
• Authorities now count 15 minors killed in air operations since August, including three confirmed by the national forensic institute from an Aug. 24 strike and five additional deaths that President Gustavo Petro acknowledged on Monday.
• Petro said he ordered the Guaviare bombing to avert an ambush on soldiers, later asked forgiveness for the child deaths, and refused the Ombudsman’s request to suspend airstrikes.
• The UN human rights office in Colombia expressed deep concern over the fatalities and urged security forces to take all possible precautions to protect children recruited by armed groups.
• Recent operations targeted a dissident FARC faction led by Iván Mordisco, and political fallout has intensified with opposition criticism and senators urging Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign.