President Abelardo De La Espriella ordered an intensified military deployment in Planadas, Tolima, after a car bomb killed four people, including a two-month-old baby, on Sunday night.
“I have ordered the reinforcement of our public forces, the intensification of operations, and the activation of special security measures to prevent further attacks and regain control of the territories,” de la Espriella wrote on social media.
The decision was made following a series of attacks and rising violence across the country, including the city of Cúcuta and the department of Cauca, reinforcing the right-wing president’s promise to restore security with an iron fist against criminal organizations.
“We will continue bombings against legitimate military targets, intensify special operations, and move forward with the reactivation of aerial spraying in accordance with the law,” he added.
The timeline
According to authorities, a dump truck laden with explosives detonated around midnight near the General Domingo Caicedo Infantry Battalion, located close to the local airport.
Although the attack appeared to target soldiers who were at the base, several civilians were also severely injured. Nearby structures suffered heavy damage, including residential homes and the local hospital.
The explosion left four people dead and more than 15 injured, according to the latest local media reports.
While the official identities of the victims have not yet been released, the identified death of one of the victims, a two-month-old baby, has sparked widespread outrage and renewed concerns across the country regarding current security measures.
“My solidarity goes out to the families. We demand justice and decisive action to stop this barbarism,” wrote Tolima Governor Adriana Magali Matiz on X.
The Defensoría del Pueblo, Colombia’s state human rights ombudsman, also called for urgent aid in the area, writing in an official release that “the destruction of the hospital’s pharmacy is particularly concerning, as it has compromised the supply of essential medications and hindered emergency efforts to treat the injured and other medical patients.”
The departmental health authority also declared a state of hospital emergency to mobilize resources and coordinate medical care for those affected.
Authorities have been deployed to the region to assist the population and investigate the attack, as no group has yet claimed responsibility.
Violence escalation across Colombia
De la Espriella’s orders to deploy more troops to Planadas came shortly after he announced the militarization of Cúcuta, the capital of the Norte de Santander province.
That order came in response to the assassination of a mayoral candidate and a recent surge in violence.
In September, he also ordered the militarization of the coastal city of Santa Marta amid a surge of armed violence – including attacks on merchants and torched vehicles –in response to government operations against drug trafficking groups.
