Colombia Confirms Children Killed in Bombing Against Armed Groups

The Colombian government confirmed Monday that three minors were killed in the bombing carried out last week against a camp belonging to a dissident faction of the former FARC in a rural area of the department of Guaviare. The operation, dubbed Operation Amon and conducted on August 27, left ten members of the armed group dead, in addition to one minor who was rescued alive and one person who was captured.

The confirmation of the minors’ deaths came after the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences advanced in identifying the bodies recovered following the attack. The case once again puts the recruitment of children and adolescents by armed groups at the center of the debate, while questions remain about one of the operation’s main targets: Juan Antonio Agudelo Salazar, alias Urias Perdomo, identified as a trusted lieutenant and right-hand man of alias Calarca.

Colombia confirms children killed in bombing against armed groups

The Defense Ministry specified that two of the three minors who died were 15 years old and the other was 16. According to the official account, the adolescents were among the combatants who were at the camp attacked by the security forces. The government maintained that they were in a situation of “continuous combat function” and again held the armed groups responsible for their recruitment and use.

Defense Minister retired Gen. Jorge Mora described the recruitment and use of minors in the conflict as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime. The government also announced that it will work with the Justice Ministry, the Attorney General’s Office and other institutions to strengthen efforts to prosecute the networks responsible for recruiting minors for armed organizations.

The discussion takes on particular significance because the bombing took place just weeks after Abelardo De la Espriella took office as president, amid a shift in his security policy toward a strategy of greater military pressure against illegal armed groups.

The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences reported that nine of the ten bodies recovered after the operation have already been fully identified. Of those, four were women and five were men, including the three minors. A tenth body remains under forensic examination because of the condition in which it was found.

The identification confirmed the presence of the adolescents among the victims and resolved one of the main uncertainties that had remained after the bombing. However, the forensic process still leaves authorities with a central unanswered question: the identity of the tenth victim.

That body could be particularly relevant in determining whether alias Urias Perdomo was among those killed, as authorities had indicated that he was present at the camp.

Contundente golpe a las estructuras narcoterroristas en el Guaviare.

Nuestra Fuerza Pública está pasando a la ofensiva con toda su capacidad. La Operación AMÓN demuestra que ningún cabecilla criminal, campamento o estructura armada podrá sentirse seguro mientras amenace a… https://t.co/5RooRTZyLq

— General Jorge Mora (@generaljmora) August 27, 2026

Urias Perdomo still not among those identified

Juan Antonio Agudelo Salazar, alias Urias Perdomo, was considered one of the operation’s main targets. Authorities identified him as the leader of the Rodrigo Cadete structure and right-hand man of alias Calarca, head of the Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frentes, the dissident faction targeted in the attack. Authorities had offered a reward of up to 400 million pesos (approximately US$125,000) for information leading to his capture.

The Attorney General’s Office initially reported that Urias Perdomo had been killed in the bombing. However, that claim has not yet been supported by the identification of any of the recovered bodies. The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences confirmed that his name does not appear among the nine fully identified bodies and that the tenth remains under analysis.

The situation leaves open the possibility that the tenth body belongs to the alleged dissident leader, but for now there is no definitive forensic confirmation.

Operation Amon was presented by the government as a major blow to Calarca’s structure. In addition to the ten deaths, authorities reported the seizure of 19 rifles, seven machine guns, handguns, antipersonnel mines, grenades for drones and more than 29,000 rounds of ammunition.

But the confirmation that three minors were killed once again adds a new dimension to the assessment of the operation. The government insists that the adolescents were used by the armed organization and that their presence demonstrates the extent of illegal recruitment in areas where dissident groups operate.

The debate over the deaths of minors in military operations is not new in Colombia. Former President Petro’s government also, despite assuring that areas with confirmed presence of minors would be bombed, had to face criticism following the subsequent deaths of minors in military operations.

Meanwhile, the lack of confirmation as to whether Urias Perdomo was killed in last week’s attack leaves one of the operation’s main results, initially attributed to it, unresolved.