Criminal drug trafficking bands are responsible for the Monday kidnapping of two soldiers in the Antioquia department, the commander of Colombia’s armed forces, Admiral Edgar Cely, told Caracol Radio Wednesday.
The information released by Cely runs contrary to a Monday army report, in which the army blamed members of FARC’s 36th Front, known to operate in the region, for the kidnapping, which occurred in the town of El Limon, 40 miles southwest of Medellin.
Cely said that the kidnapped officials were in the area on their way to present evidence of a cocaine processing lab in the region to a judicial court.
The commander told Caracol Radio that a cadaver was also found near where the kidnapping occurred, but couldn’t be retrieved due to minefields in the area. At this moment, officials are working to determine whether the body belongs to a soldier.
The official said that at this moment the armed forces do not have information regarding the whereabouts of those kidnapped.