FARC Dissidents Ambush Colombian Army Convoy in Huila, Killing Two, as Military Manages Two Crises at Once

COLOMBIA — FARC dissidents ambushed a Colombian Army convoy with explosives in rural Huila department on Wednesday, August 12, killing two soldiers and wounding more than a dozen others, in an attack that struck the same day Colombia’s military remains stretched managing the aftermath of the country’s deadliest earthquake in decades.

What Happened

The attack occurred in the rural sector of Algeciras, Huila, when units from the Army’s Novena Brigada responded to a report of an abandoned cylinder bomb near the road to El Paraíso, in the vicinity of the vereda El Quebradón.

As troops moved to neutralize the device, they were ambushed with explosives. The Army’s Fifth Division confirmed the attack in an official statement, calling it a “vile attack against our soldiers, who were fulfilling a mission to protect the population and provide security in the territory.”

The Casualties

Two members of the Armed Forces were killed: Corporal First Class Yony Alejandro Andrade Lizcano, who died at the scene, and professional soldier Luis Felipe Muñoz Lizcano, who died of his injuries after being evacuated to a medical facility.

Reported injury counts varied throughout the day as the situation developed, with figures ranging from 10 to 17 wounded soldiers across different military and local government statements; local officials in Algeciras initially reported “more than 10 soldiers wounded and one deceased” before the toll was updated.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Army Aviation was dispatched to evacuate the wounded to Neiva, the departmental capital, for specialized medical care.

Wounded soldiers were initially treated at Algeciras's local hospital before transfer.

Who Is Responsible

Colombian authorities attributed the attack to FARC dissidents, specifically identifying the group as the Iván Díaz sub-structure of the Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc.

According to reporting from La FM, banners referencing dissident armed groups (GAO-r) had been placed in the area alongside the cylinder device, and the ambush was triggered when soldiers arrived to disable it. Local officials said the cylinder’s presence on a road residents travel daily was first reported by the community itself, including teachers and students, prompting the military response that led to the ambush.

Huila’s departmental Secretary of Education subsequently canceled classes in the area and sent teachers and students home as a precaution.

A Second Attack the Same Day

Colombian outlet Cambio reported a second explosive attack against military units the same day in neighboring Cauca department, also attributed to FARC dissidents, which left an additional civilian injured alongside further military casualties — underscoring that Wednesday’s violence extended across at least two departments simultaneously.

A Military Already Stretched Thin

The attacks comes as Colombia’s Armed Forces are already heavily committed to disaster response following Monday’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake, the country’s strongest since 1979, which has killed more than 180 people and injured over a thousand more across five departments.

Cambio’s reporting on the Algeciras and Cauca attacks noted explicitly that they occurred “in the midst of the search, rescue, and assistance work being carried out by the Armed Forces in different regions of the country” — meaning Colombia’s military response capacity is now being tested by a natural disaster and renewed guerrilla violence at the same time, just five days into President Abelardo de la Espriella’s term.

Part of a Broader Pattern

Wednesday’s attack fits a pattern of continued FARC dissident activity across southern Colombia that has persisted despite sustained military pressure throughout 2025 and 2026. It also arrives just after de la Espriella’s own explicit break from predecessor Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” negotiating framework, including the same-day transfer of 117 high-profile inmates to maximum-security prisons on his inauguration day and his declared refusal to pursue any dialogue with illegal armed groups going forward — a posture that, as of Wednesday, is being tested directly by continued dissident attacks on Colombian military personnel.

What Comes Next

The Army said it would intensify military operations throughout Huila department to counter the illegal armed structures responsible, while continuing to investigate the exact circumstances of the ambush.

As of this writing, authorities had not announced any arrests or additional details on the operation’s aftermath, and both the earthquake response and the security operation in Huila and Cauca continue in parallel.