Four soldiers died in Colombia in attacks in retaliation for the capture of Otoniel

At least four soldiers were killed and three injured in two explosive and shooting attacks in northwestern Colombia in retaliation for the recent capture of Otoniel, the top head of drug trafficking, authorities said Tuesday.

In a first action, three soldiers lost their lives on Monday night when an explosive charge exploded as their vehicle passed, followed by rifle shots, he refers AFP.

The attack, in which three soldiers were also injured, took place in the town of Turbo, in the department of Antioquia, area of ​​influence of the Gulf Clan that headed Otoniel until his arrest on Saturday for extradition to the United States, a military source said.

It was “a retaliation for the capture of the drug trafficker most wanted by the world and Colombian authorities,” he told Blue Radio General of the Army Juvenal Díaz.

In a statement, the institution reported on the death of another soldier in Ituango, a municipality in the same department.

“A military unit was harassed by members of the same organized armed group, wounding one of our soldiers (…), unfortunately he died,” according to the bulletin released, which does not specify the time of the incident.

Dairo Antonio Úsuga, known by the alias of Otoniel and leader of the Clan del Golfo, was arrested on Saturday in the mountains of Antioquia in a mega-operation of 500 police and military after years of intense hunting.

“We reject and condemn the cowardly murder of 3 @COL_EJERCITO soldiers when they were carrying out surveillance work in Turbo, Antioquia,” the president, Iván Duque, reacted in a message on Twitter.

General Díaz pointed out that the military is on alert for new retaliatory actions by the organization of Otoniel, which operates mainly in Antioquia and Chocó, in an area adjacent to Panama.

Meanwhile, the independent study center Indepaz estimates that the Gulf Clan has a force of about 1,600 men. The authorities estimate that it would amount to 3,800 members, between combatants and collaborators.

“All the indications show us that these bandits are going to retaliate for the capture,” added Díaz.

The arrest of Otoniel, 50, who began as a guerrilla and later fought on the opposite side together with the paramilitaries, is the most forceful blow that Duque has inflicted on drug trafficking in his three years in office.

“We reiterate that these criminals and drug traffickers who attack our Public Force will be persecuted and brought to justice,” warned the president.

Experts foresee that the subordinates of Otoniel They could unleash a war to fill the void left by the kingpin, in a confrontation that frightens the inhabitants of the region. Alias Little Bad Boy and Siopas They appear as the possible successors of the drug trafficker.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the Clan del Golfo exports 30% of the cocaine that leaves Colombia (about 300 tons) annually, the country considered by the UN as the largest producer of that drug.

The government hopes that Úsuga will be extradited in the coming weeks to the United States, where he is requested by courts in Miami and New York for drug trafficking.

Before the Colombian justice, Otoniel He has six convictions and 26 arrest warrants for murder, terrorism, recruitment of minors and kidnapping, among other crimes. (I)