ELN guerrillas killed at least nine soldiers in an attack on an army base in northeast Colombia, according to the military.
Another nine soldiers were injured in the attack that took place in the rural part of El Carmen, a municipality in the Catatumbo region.
The alleged ELN unit attacked the base around 3AM on Wednesday morning, the army said in a press release.
The commander of the National Army, General Luis Mauricio Ospina, traveled to the Norte de Santander province to inspect the situation in the guerrilla stronghold.
According to Governor Silvano Serrano, the killed soldiers were stationed in Norte de Santander to protect oil infrastructure in the region.
President Gustavo Petro, whose administration is negotiating a ceasefire with the guerrilla group, condemned the deadly guerrilla attack.
The ELN is “totally alienated from peace and the people,” said the president on Twitter.