Drone and rifle attack on police station in El Peñol, Nariño
Harassment with explosives and rifle fire struck the police station in El Peñol, Nariño, on Sunday, 4 October. The governor convened a security council.
Armed harassment in El Peñol puts Nariño and Norte de Santander on alert
Infobae.com reports that from 7:50 in the morning on Sunday, 4 October, the police station in the municipality of El Peñol, in the department of Nariño, was subject to harassment with rifle fire and unconventional explosive devices, allegedly launched from unmanned aircraft.
The attack generated panic among inhabitants of the urban centre and adjacent rural areas, who remained sheltered in their homes whilst security forces attempted to contain the situation. Gunfire was heard continuously in the centre of the populated area, in what local sources described as a market day.
In response to the aggression, authorities deployed troops from the National Army and specialised units to support uniformed personnel, secure access to the municipality and prevent the attackers from retreating towards populated sectors. Reaction protocols and perimeter defence measures were activated immediately.
As of the time of the report, authorities had not confirmed whether there were any injured persons among uniformed personnel or the civilian population. Relief agencies are continuing to review reports received from the scene.
The governor of Nariño rejected the attack through his social media: "We strongly reject this attack against the Public Force and the risk to which the civilian population is exposed. We demand that non-state armed groups respect without restriction International Humanitarian Law and the lives of communities." The official convened a Security Council to assess the situation and adopt necessary measures, and reported that the Public Force maintained control with aerial support for operations.
The municipality of El Peñol is located in southwestern Colombia, an area where structures of the Organised Armed Group (OAG) ELN and factions of FARC dissidents converge, organisations that dispute control of corridors used for illicit economies and drug trafficking.
Second drone attack in Tibú, Norte de Santander
In parallel, authorities in Norte de Santander activated maximum alert following an attack with explosives-laden drones against members of the Public Force in Tibú, also occurring in the early hours of Sunday, 4 October. The incident took place in the rural settlement of Puerto Reyes, belonging to the district of Campo Dos, a rural area with an escalation of actions attributed to illegal armed groups.
In less than 24 hours, violent actions with similar characteristics were reported in at least two rural areas of Tibú, all under the same aerial modality against the Public Force. Military and police units deployed to the main access points of the town to reinforce the urban perimeter and provide tactical support to personnel at the station.
Security agencies hold the ELN responsible for the harassment, an organisation that maintains a presence in northern Norte de Santander, the border zone and the south of the region. Authorities also maintain vigilance over FARC dissidents, which operate in this strategic corridor.
"There have now been 76 drone attacks in Catatumbo so far this year"
Olguin Mayorga, president of the National Association of Armed Conflict, reported that in the district of Versalles, part of the municipality of Tibú, four people were seriously wounded in one of the attacks, including a 14-year-old girl who is receiving medical attention at Tibú hospital.
"With this incident, officially speaking, there have now been 76 attacks with explosives-laden drones in this sub-region of Catatumbo so far in 2026," said Mayorga. The leader made a call to armed actors to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, and to the national Government to "finally activate mechanisms that allow the recovery of security in the Catatumbo region."
Source: Google News CO — Crime