The President of the Republic of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, reported on the execution of “Operation Onix”, a military operation carried out on October 22 in the rural area of the municipality of El Tambo, Cauca.
The action was directed against the José María Becerra front, belonging to the Southwestern War Front of the armed group Eln, and resulted in the neutralization of 10 of its members, among which two of the main leaders of the structure stand out.
Among the people neutralized in the procedure are aliases “Marcos Pacífico” and aliases “Ochenta” or “Murillo.” According to the information provided, alias “Marcos Pacífico” remained in the organization for more than 24 years and served as commander of the José María Becerra front, with an area of influence in the departments of Cauca, Nariño and Valle del Cauca.
operation onlx Photo:Abelardo De La Espriella
“He is attributed with more than 62 homicides, the recruitment of hundreds of minors, the forced displacement of more than 500 people, and he was the brain behind all that illegal uprising that promoted urban terrorism during the years 2019 and 2021,” said the president.
During the development of the intervention in the rural area of El Tambo, the Public Force located a camping area with the capacity to house approximately 25 people.
operation onlx Photo:Abelardo De La Espriella
The following items were seized at the site: 7 rifles, 1 pistol and 2 grenades. The neutralization of the members of the front affects the chain of command and operational coordination of the group in the southwest of the country, reducing its control capacity over strategic corridors towards the Colombian Pacific.
The National Government indicated that the Public Force will maintain the deployment of Police, Army, Navy and Air Force units in the region to consolidate territorial control and guarantee the security of the civilian population in the department of Cauca.
