Explosive attack against Police commander in rural area of Cúcuta
An improvised explosive device and rifle fire attacked a police van in the Alto Viento district. Major José Luis Vargas and two uniformed officers were unharmed.
Attack with explosive and IED against police officer on Cúcuta–Puerto Santander corridor
A bulletproof vehicle of the National Police was attacked with an improvised explosive device and rifle bursts on Tuesday 28 July, at approximately 4:30 p.m., in the Alto Viento district, rural area of Cúcuta. According to infobae.com, the vehicle carried the commander of the Puerto Santander Police station, Major José Luis Vargas, along with patrol officer Holguer Jaimes and a driver.
The device was activated as the van passed through the Puerto Lleras sector, on the road corridor connecting Cúcuta with Puerto Santander. The explosion was followed by a series of rifle shots directed at the vehicle, which sustained damage exceeding 80 per cent to its structure, according to the official statement from the National Police.
The armour of the van prevented the occupants from suffering serious injuries. The three uniformed officers managed to advance several metres after the detonation until reaching a populated area. Major Vargas was taken to a clinic in Cúcuta, where he received medical attention for minor injuries. The institution clarified that there were no fatalities or serious injuries recorded.
Images circulated on social media showed severe damage across the entire bodywork of the armoured van used by the National Police.
To date, the authorities have not formally attributed the attack to any specific group. Initial hypotheses point to armed structures operating in the region, among them the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the FARC Front 33, identified by the public force as active actors in the area.
Following the attack, public force units deployed an operation in the area to locate those responsible and reinforce security on the road corridor.
The region is considered strategic due to its border location between Colombia and Venezuela, a scene of territorial disputes and smuggling routes between illegal armed groups.
The incident is part of an escalation of recent attacks against the public force in the department of Norte de Santander. On 22 July, a soldier of the National Army was wounded by an ELN sniper in the rural area of Ocaña. On 17 July, armed men murdered patrol officer Andrés Camilo Gómez in the municipality of El Carmen during local festivities.
The accumulation of these incidents demonstrates the complexity of the security situation in Catatumbo and bordering areas, where confrontations between armed groups and the public force persist despite control operations deployed in recent months. Departmental authorities maintain surveillance in the zone and continue inspection work to clarify the circumstances of the attack.
Source: Google News CO — Crime