Terrorist attack in front of Cali air base: six deaths and dozens injured are reported

Two explosions were reported near the Marco Fidel Suárez air base in Cali, which were attributed to a possible terrorist attack. The event, which occurred at 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, took passersby by surprise, as it is a commercial area that is especially busy and monitored by the air base personnel. The Colombian Air Force confirmed that the attack left six people dead, one of them a nine-year-old, and at least 42 injured, although the figures may change as time goes on. According to reports, a truck loaded with explosives was abandoned in front of the main access to the base, in an area with a constant presence of the military guard and a regular flow of businesses and pedestrians. Videos collected by witnesses show that there was a truck with gas cylinders left by the perpetrators that failed to explode. "Currently, damage verification work is underway on facilities and personnel, in addition to the investigation to establish the causes and perpetrators of this terrorist act, which attacks the civilian population and the lives of the men and women who serve Colombians from the FAC," expressed the Colombian Aerospace Force in a statement through its official accounts. The mayor of Cali, Alejandro Éder, announced through his X account that the teams from the Health, Security, and Risk secretariats are already in action to assist the injured. At the same time, the authorities sent in air reinforcements and dozens of agents are trying to control the area and assist those affected. Preliminary reports on the mobile phone suggest that the new attack may have been a response or retaliation by the Farc dissidents to the military operations carried out in the Cañón del Micay sector, in the southwest of the country. According to reports from the Army and the National Police, the attacks are focused on official infrastructure and busy urban places as a way to demonstrate damage capacity and generate fear in the population. This is not the first attack of this type to occur in Cali this year. On June 10th, the capital of Valle had to deal with three almost simultaneous explosions in different police stations and neighborhoods, which left a balance of more than 70 injured. These attacks were attributed to the dissident Jaime Martínez Beltrán Front, a group derived from the former Farc guerrilla. Since then, there are more controls, the presence of security forces, and emergency devices in the city.

Among the first to speak out in rejection of the attack is Senator María Fernanda Cabal, from the Democratic Center, who on her X account attacked the government of Gustavo Petro. “This is terrorism in all its capacity before a State incapable of protecting its citizens”, she stated.

Petro himself referred to the attack on his social media, confirming that the attack was a response to the operations in the Cañón del Micay against the Carlos Patiño column. "Terrorism is the new expression of the factions that claim to be led by Iván Mordisco, and that have been subordinated to the control of the drug trafficking board," he expressed. Cabal herself was quick to respond to Petro. "That's not 'reaction,' it's rampant terrorism while you look the other way. Your duty is to protect the country, not justify the criminals," she replied on X. The governor of Valle, Dilian Francisca Toro, sent a message of unity to the people of Valle, stating that the authorities are doing everything in their power to confront terrorism. “Terrorism will not defeat us, with more strength and determination, I call for us to unite and confront it”, he stated.

SOURCE: INFOBAE