The incident occurred when a vehicle was about to enter the Pantano de Vargas Infantry Battalion No. 21, located in the municipality of Granada, Meta.
A military garrison in the Colombian municipality of Granada, in Meta, was attacked with a vehicle loaded with explosives on Wednesday, leaving a civilian and a soldier dead, and at least five people injured, reports El Colombiano .
The incident occurred when the vehicle, according to sources, a motorcycle, was preparing to enter the Pantano de Vargas Infantry Battalion No. 21. The explosive material was activated while the guards were reviewing the entry permits. As a result, soldier Yover Rojas González , who complied with the inspection protocol, lost his life, confirmed the commander of the Colombian National Army, Eduardo Enrique Zapateiro.
🚨 #ÚLTIMAHORA Se conocen los primeros videos tras el atentado contra el Batallón de InfanterÃa No. 21 ‘Batalla Pantano de Vargas’ de Granada, Meta. Los terroristas usaron un motocarro para atacar la guardia de la instalación militar. https://t.co/CQHwyXqyqO pic.twitter.com/Vf0l43wQ27
— Webinfomil.com (@Webinfomil) February 9, 2022
So far, none of the armed groups operating in the area has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, the authorities carry out a sweep of the area in search of the material and intellectual authors and the cordoning off of the road axis that connects the municipalities of Villavicencio and San José del Guaviare was ordered.
The governor of the department of Meta, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, repudiated the attack and assured that “security efforts must be redoubled.” Defense Minister Diego Molano visited the battalion and described what happened as a “cowardly terrorist attack . ” He also assured that they will respond “forcefully” and those responsible will be captured.
Repudio y condeno el atentado terrorista en
el Batallón 21 Vargas en Granada. 2 muertos y
4 heridos es el lamentable resultado de este
cobarde ataque. Hoy más que nunca se
deben redoblar esfuerzos en seguridad. No
queremos que nuestro Dpto. vuelva a ser
escenario de guerra. pic.twitter.com/hL2ulxoXHo— Juan Guillermo Zuluaga (@JuanGZuluaga) February 9, 2022
The incident occurs a few days after a similar one, perpetrated against an Army brigade in the city of Cúcuta, in Norte de Santander, where three explosive devices were launched. The attack, which left no injuries or damage to the facilities, was attributed to the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group.