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Colombian military forces announced on Wednesday that they successfully killed five members of the terrorist group responsible for a devastating bus bombing that killed 20 civilians and injured 45 others.
In a statement from Colombia’s military forces, officials said the slain suspects were members of the “Estructura Jaime Martínez”, an organized armed group.
Authorities claim that in addition to planting explosives in the municipality of Cajibío, the group’s criminal activities include stealing vehicles on the Pan-American Highway and indiscriminately deploying drones loaded with explosives.
Officials shared a video showing various weapons laid out on a table. (@FuerzasMilCol/X)
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A video shared with the statement showed body bags and several seized weapons placed in front of a military helicopter.
The military response followed the April 26 terrorist attack, when an explosive device detonated on a passenger bus traveling on the Pan-American Highway in the volatile Cauca region.
According to a report by the Associated Press, 15 women and five men died in the blast.
Colombian soldiers killed five suspected members of the residual organized armed group Estructura Jaime Martínez. (@FuerzasMilCol/X)
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While initial local reports said 36 people were injured, including several children, a recent update from the Colombian military said 45 civilians were injured in the blast.
General Hugo López, commander of the Armed Forces of Colombia, immediately condemned the bus bombing, calling it a “terrorist act”.
He blamed dissident factions of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for the attack, specifically pointing to the Jaime Martínez faction and the network of “Iván Mordisco”, one of the country’s most wanted individuals.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had earlier urged authorities to “guarantee justice for the victims”.
The suspects were accused of killing 20 people and injuring dozens in a terror attack in April, officials said. (@FuerzasMilCol/X)
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Southwestern Colombia has become a battleground for illegal armed groups competing for control of coca leaf cultivation areas and vital drug trafficking routes leading to Central America and Europe.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
