Overview

• Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said armed civilians seized the troops as they evacuated a rural zone of El Retorno in Guaviare after combat with the EMC faction.
• The operation left 11 guerrillas dead, including an EMC commander, and officials described the seizure as a kidnapping carried out by people in civilian clothes.
• Authorities said the soldiers have been held since Monday, and military leaders asked the Ombudsman's Office and the OAS mission to help secure their release.
• Guaviare sits on a strategic corridor with extensive coca crops, and the EMC linked to Iván Mordisco remains active in the area despite the 2016 peace deal.
• The incident mirrors a June episode in which 57 soldiers were detained, as recent vehicle-bomb and drone attacks point to escalated tactics by dissident groups.