Colombian president touts killing of alleged FARC dissident leader
An early morning offensive against a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the Valle de Cauca resulted in the death of a man known by the aliases of Felipe or Arcadio, the president said in a social media post.
The man was identified as the leader of a FARC dissident column allegedly responsible for multiple attacks against police stations in Dagua and El Queramal using explosives launched from drones.
De la Espriella's statement was accompanied by a video showing a man's body inside a white plastic bag lying on the ground next to the seized ammunition.
"In January, [Felipe] reportedly participated in an attack against an Army unit in El Danubio that left seven professional soldiers injured," he said.
Felipe was also allegedly connected with the bombing of the busy highway between Cali and Buenaventura in April in which 20 people were killed, as well as with extortions, threats and other criminal actions in Dagua.
An M4 rifle, three magazines, 85 rounds, and a telescopic sight were seized during the operation.
De la Espriella, who was elected in June on promises of cracking down on narco-terrorist groups, issued a warning that his government is "closing the net.
"Those who attack our soldiers and police, use drones with explosives, and terrorize the population must know that we are on the offensive and we're coming for them," he declared. "Any bandit who does not surrender will end up in a body bag, like this wretch we took down."
Colombia's armed conflict leaves at least 137,000 people missing
According to data released by Colombia's Search Unit for Missing Persons, known by its Spanish acronym UBPD, at least 137,000 people have been reported missing in connection with the country's armed conflict since that year.
Marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Sunday, the agency said 48.5% of all cases occurred during the 2000s, with the highest concentration between 2001 and 2003.
Disappearances during the first decade of the 21st century represent a dark chapter in Colombia's recent history. Between 2000 and 2010, the country experienced an escalation in violence marked by fighting among right-wing paramilitary groups, left-wing guerrillas and state forces in a war waged on multiple fronts.
During that period, armed groups used enforced disappearances to conceal the large number of victims, terrorize local communities and facilitate the illegal seizure of millions of acres of rural land.
Valle del Cauca, Antioquia and Meta have recorded the highest number of cases, according to the UBPD.
The concentration of cases in those regions reflected the broader strategic objectives of armed groups seeking to control key corridors for drug trafficking and arms smuggling, as well as natural resources and rural border areas.
"This is a crucial date to remember that disappearances have not stopped," Luz Janeth Forero, director general of the UBPD, said in a statement.
Forero said records from the International Committee of the Red Cross show that another 2,659 people have disappeared since the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed a peace agreement in 2016.
The Red Cross warned Friday that at least one person has disappeared every two days this year as a result of Colombia's armed conflict, with 99 cases recorded between January and July.
The international organization said in a statement that 36 of those reported missing were children and adolescents.
On Saturday, Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, ended negotiations with several illegal armed groups that had been launched by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro. He revoked the appointments of government representatives and withdrew recognition of the opposing delegations involved in talks under the so-called Total Peace plan.
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Mexico seizes 210 guns smuggled from Texas
Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Mexican authorities arrested three people and seized 210 firearms smuggled from Texas during a highway operation in Nuevo Leon state, bringing the total number of weapons confiscated under President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration to more than 30,000, officials said.
The seizure took place on the Nuevo Laredo-Monterrey highway near Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, according to Animal Politico. Agents with the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Attorney General's Office (FGR) carried out the operation in coordination with the Defense Ministry, the Navy, the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection (SSPC) and the National Guard.
Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch announced the arrests Monday on social media, saying the three suspects were transporting the weapons from Texas to Mexico for delivery to criminal groups. The confiscated arsenal included 195 long guns and 15 handguns, along with ammunition magazines, Garcia Harfuch said.
Garcia Harfuch wrote that the operation stemmed from intelligence and investigative work aimed at identifying and dismantling routes used to smuggle weapons into the country, and that more than 30,000 firearms have now been seized during Sheinbaum's government.
UNO TV reported that the weapons were of large caliber and destined for organized crime, and that Garcia Harfuch framed the seizure as part of what Mexican officials call "shared responsibility" between Mexico and the United States on security matters.
"Shared responsibility demands stopping the trafficking of drugs toward the United States, but also stopping, with the same firmness, the flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico," Garcia Harfuch said.
The bust comes weeks after U.S. authorities announced charges against a weapons-trafficking network supplying a Mexican criminal organization. Federal prosecutor Timothy Courchaine and Phoenix-based Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Albert Gibes said Aug. 4 that 21 people had been arrested in connection with the network, according to Animal Politico.
U.S. officials said the network used straw buyers to purchase firearms legally from licensed gun dealers across Arizona, spreading the purchases among multiple stores in Maricopa County and elsewhere to avoid detection. Investigators also traced weapons recovered at crime scenes to establish links between cases, officials said.
Gibes said the investigation targeted people exploiting legal firearms sales for criminal purposes, not the purchases themselves. All 21 people named in arrest warrants were taken into custody, he said. The investigation involved the Homeland Security Task Force, the ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, the Border Patrol, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation division, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Mexican authorities, according to Animal Politico.
Courchaine said most licensed firearms dealers cooperate with such investigations by maintaining sales records and conducting background checks, though he acknowledged some dealers have been implicated in irregularities.
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