Cauca: Dissidents return body of soldier killed in combat

Dissident members of the FARC, specifically the ‘Carlos Patiño’ structure, have returned the body of professional soldier Idel José Torres Herrera to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The soldier was killed during intense combat between the Colombian National Army's Rapid Deployment Force No. 4 and illegal armed groups in the rural area of El Tambo, Cauca.

During the clashes, military forces reported being targeted by long-range weaponry and explosive-laden drones. Following the soldier's death, the armed group seized his body from the scene, an act the Colombian Army condemned as a violation of International Humanitarian Law and an impediment to judicial investigations.

The recovery of the remains was facilitated through humanitarian efforts by the ICRC and the Defensoría del Pueblo. Major General Erik Rodríguez Aparicio, commander of the Military Forces, stated that while the return of the body fulfills humanitarian obligations, it does not legitimize the illegal armed structures. The body is being processed for identification and formal delivery to the soldier's family in Valencia de Jesús.