Colombian Army destroys landmines and IEDs in Risaralda and Antioquia

In Risaralda, troops of the Colombian Army’s 8th Battalion San Mateo located and safely detonated a VOIED anti‑personnel landmine in the Agüita hamlet of Pueblo Rico. The device, planted by the ELN’s Manuel Hernández El Boche front, was found 200 metres from an indigenous settlement and 800 metres from a school, posing a serious risk to civilians.

In the municipality of Ituango, Antioquia, the 10th Light Infantry Battalion uncovered an improvised explosive device—assembled in a 10‑liter container—along a rural road used daily by farmers and schoolchildren. The bomb, attributed to the Substructure 18 faction of FARC dissidents, was destroyed in a controlled explosion, preventing possible casualties.

Both operations are part of the army’s security campaigns to neutralize explosive threats and protect the civilian population in conflict‑affected areas of Colombia.