BOGOTA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed Saturday night in a military operation that included an airstrike against dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the northeastern Catatumbo region of Colombia, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the country's Defense Ministry.
"As a result of the operation, four members of the '33rd Front' were killed during military operations, three men and a woman. According to information from the National Institute of Legal Medicine, the latter was a 16-year-old girl, who was in a continuous combat function," the ministry said in a statement.
After the airstrike, ground troops entered the camp to secure and search the area, where three soldiers were wounded when a minefield was triggered, the ministry said.
Troops seized 10 rifles, one machine gun, two handguns, 57 magazines and 3,867 rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
The statement said the aerial operation included measures to protect civilians, in line with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution under international humanitarian law, adding that the military targets were identified beforehand.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on Aug. 7, gave a security assessment of his government's first two months on Monday, reporting that security forces had killed 70 members of illegal armed groups and recorded 1,117 cases of operational impact against members of such groups, including arrests, demobilizations, surrenders and deaths. ■
