The recovered minors, aged approximately 14 and 17, were put into custody of the children and adolescents police to begin the process of restoring their rights.
In territorial control operations, carried out in the rural area of the municipality of Luis Vero, municipality of Sardinata, Norte de Santander, National Army troops recovered three minors who were being used by members of the residual organized armed group, GAO-r, Structure 33, to transport weapons for the exclusive use of the Military Forces.
According to the investigations carried out by the authorities, the minors, victims of forced recruitment, carried a 7.62 mm machinegun, with a spare barrel; four Galil rifles, 5.52 mm caliber; two pistols, 9 mm caliber; nine rifle magazines and six pistol magazines, as well as ammunition of different calibers, armament that would belong to our four heroes who were killed, last 31 August, in rural area of La Pradera Village, Municipality of Sardinata, in Norte de Santander.
As part of this operation, the children were sheltered by the soldiers and airlifted to the city of Cúcuta, to be left in the hands of the children and adolescents police, in order to begin the process of reestablishing their rights.
This command emphatically rejects the recruitment of minors, and especially this GAO-r, E-33, and illegal armed group that repeatedly flagrantly violate the rights of children and international humanitarian law, employing children and young people in this kind of illicit activities and drug trafficking.
Source: National Army News Agency