Colombia’s Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera thanked Ecuador for the assistance in a defense operation that killed 22 alleged members of the FARC on Sunday, while Ecuador denies having helped out.
According to the Colombian Minister, the Ecuadorean army shielded the border area, while Colombian armed forces bombed and attacked a FARC camp close to the border.
Rivera called the Ecuadorean assistance “very valuable.”
“Undoubtedly this is a key element to ensure the strength of these operations” carried out “entirely inside Colombian territory,” the Minister said.
Colombian President Santos also thanked the Ecuadorean government for its assistance and said he planned to call his Ecuadorean counterpart Rafael Correa to personally show his gratification.
However, Ecuadorean Security Minister Miguel Carvajal denied to Spanish press agency Efe that his country’s armed forces were involved in the operation.
“There has been no incident … reported on Ecuadorean territory. The only thing we know is that on Colombian territory there was a major military operation and unfortunately several people died,” said Carvajal.
“Ecuador does not take part in any operation of this type,” the Minister stressed.