Colombian Army Kills 14 Minors in Bombing

Colombia's human rights organizations on Tuesday denounced that 14 minors were killed on March 2 during an Army bombing in Buenos Aires community in the Guaviare Department.

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The Human Rights Defense Foundation (DHOC) said that one victim is a nine-year-old girl, who died due to the detonations produced during the attack on the dissident guerrilla led by drug trafficker Miguel Botache (aka Gentil Duarte).

Former councilman Hollman Morris also confirmed the death of a 16-year-old girl and commented that local authorities expect to identify another five bodies of minors in the coming hours.

"Dozens of people are arriving at the Legal Medicine facilities in the San Jose del Guaviare municipality," Morris reported and added that seven children have already been identified by their relatives.

"We believe that in San Jose Hospital there may be more injured minors," human rights defender Edilberto Daz said.

On Tuesday night, the Army stated the people killed in the bombing had been guerrillas and that only two children had been wounded, who were already recovering at the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare in San Jose del Guaviare.

Calamar municipality Mayor Giovanny Garces did not rule out that the "recovered" minors mentioned by the Army are in that hospital. However, this version has not been confirmed yet. 

On March 3, Defense Minister Diego Molano assured that the Armed Forces neutralized 13 members of Gentil Duarte's guerrilla in the Guaviare Department, alluding to ten deaths and three captures.