2023-09-25 07:01:00
The soldiers participating in Operation Trueno, designed by the Army to regain control of strategic sites in Cauca, have been surprised to find camps and guerrilla bases on hills, in plain sight of the entire world, instead of being hidden in shelter. of the jungle, as they usually built them. Why are the insurgents no longer hiding their hideouts?
The question gained greater interest among the ranks on August 30, in the Micay canyon, when they found one of these camps on a mountain peak in the El Plateado district, in the municipality of Argelia.
It had about 35 tents, with the capacity to house twice as many people; 360° view of neighboring towns; and lacked camouflage or protection of any kind.
In the past, this would be considered a tactical error by the enemy, as such an uncovered area would be easily detected by spies and military aircraft.
But the Farian dissidents of the Central General Staff (EMC), led by “Iván Mordisco”, this does not seem to worry them. And that leader almost died in a bombing in July 2022, in Caquetá.
Military sources, who requested the confidentiality of their identity, indicated that the way of fighting the war changed the day the National Government ordered the suspension of the bombings. It happened on August 25, 2022, when the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, explained that the decision sought to protect minors recruited by illegal groups, which also inhabited those camps.
And although he said that the FF.MM. They could bomb a target when they had confirmed that there were no minors, the reality is that all these air attacks were cut short.
“The dynamics of the war changed. Two weeks ago we saw another camp of this type, open to view, on a farm in the Montes de María. That was from the Gulf Clan,” said Erich Saumeth, security and defense analyst.
From his perspective, “no commander is going to risk carrying out this type of operations, because they expose themselves to lawsuits without having the political support of the Government. For this Government, it is not compatible to propose dialogue scenarios with illegal groups and at the same time bomb, ”he said.
In the 13 months following that decision, criminal organizations have exploited the opportunity that the State offers them by not using its greatest weapon against them, air supremacy, and this is why camps and bases are now found in different places. to bare heaven.”
In the past, the underground bunkers where former guerrilla leaders hid, such as “Mono Jojoy”, who ordered dozens of meters of tunnels to be built in the jungle in the east of the country, which helped him escape from justice for decades, until a hail of bombs reached him.
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ANNEX: THE UNDERGROUND APARTMENT OF “CABUYO”
One of the most persecuted dissident leaders in recent times was Ricardo Abel Ayala (“Cabuyo”), head of the 36th front of the FARC. He survived two bombings, so he decided to build an underground shelter in the municipality of Briceño.
The Army discovered it on May 4, 2019, in a raid on a farm in the Cucurucho village. An informant said it was hidden there, but they searched every corner without finding it. Finally, inside a pasture, a soldier discovered an underground bunker. They lifted a cement lid covered with branches, and found a wooden staircase that descended to the hiding place, where there was a comfortable studio apartment with tiled walls and floors, kitchen, bathroom and bed. “Cabuyo” died in 2022, in a shootout with troops on a farm in Barbosa.
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