A new act of violence shook the department of Norte de Santander this Tuesday, January 6. Five National Police patrol officers were kidnapped in the La Llana sector, a rural area of ​​the municipality of Tibú, in the Catatumbo region, while they were traveling on a public transport bus.

The Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, confirmed that the main hypothesis points to structures of the National Liberation Army (ELN) as being responsible for the kidnapping.

As he explained, the uniformed officers were off duty, on leave and dressed in civilian clothes, when they were illegally intercepted in this area of ​​high conflict.

The head of the Defense portfolio described the event as “inhuman” and assured that these types of actions show the criminal actions of that illegal armed group, which he pointed out to finance itself through drug trafficking, kidnapping and forced recruitment of minors.

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“The entire country must repudiate this kidnapping. These police officers are Colombians who decided to serve the nation. They are not alone and they will return,” the minister stated in a radio interview.

Sánchez clarified that, although it is not a “miraculous fishing” in the traditional terms used during the conflict with the extinct FARC, the method used bears similarities, since it was an illegal interception on a road.

With this case, there would now be 14 members of the public force who remain kidnapped, including police and CTI officials, some of them in the power of the ELN.

The minister recognized that one of the critical points of the case was the non-compliance with security protocols, when the uniformed personnel mobilized on public transport in an area classified as high risk. For this reason, the director of the National Police ordered the opening of an internal investigation to establish responsibilities.

He also indicated that there were air means available for the transfer of police officers on leave, a situation that was already brought to the attention of the President of the Republic.

Finally, the minister assured that the authorities are carrying out intelligence work with all their capabilities to achieve the prompt and safe return of the kidnapped police officers, and called on the public to provide information that will allow them to find their whereabouts.

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