(Image: President’s Office)

President Abelardo de la Espriella said Thursday that Colombia’s armed forces killed eight guerrillas of FARC dissident group EMBF in a joint operation.

In a post on social media platform X, De la Espriella said that the military offensive targeted “camps used by structures of the Jorge Suarez Briceño Block,” a unit of the EMBF, in a rural part of El Retorno in the Guaviare province.

In a precision airstrike followed by an operation carried out by our commandos, the preliminary tally shows that 8 terrorists have been killed so far, 11 rifles and 5 machine guns have been seized, along with a large amount of logistical supplies.

President Abelardo de la Espriella

De la Espriella said that “Colombia must know we are going on the offensive” against organized crime and illegal armed groups that are all deemed “narco-terrorist” organizations by the government.

“Major ringleaders and their criminal organizations will find no hiding place or sanctuary anywhere in the country,” the president added.

De la Espriella took office earlier this month, vowing to end peace negotiations with illegal armed groups and go on a military offensive with the help of the US military instead.

One of the groups that was negotiating peace with the administration of former President Gustavo Petro was the EMBF, led by former FARC commander “Calarca.”

The group, together with FARC dissident group EMC, controls large swathe of territory in southern Colombia and along the border with Venezuela.