Considering it is of public interest, the General Command of the Military Forces reports:
1. The National Government, through the Ministry of National Defence, has a Defence and Security Policy “For Legality, Entrepreneurship and Equity”, responding to threats and challenges by conducting military operations to combat the high-value targets Symbols of evil responsible for the criminal strategy and terrorist structures of Organized Armed Groups.
2. Military operations are carried out by highly professional and trained personnel, with specialized equipment and material, following legality criteria and contributing effectively to prevent contingencies against the democratic institutions of the country, as stated in the constitutional mission of the Military Forces of Colombia in the superior article 217.
3. All military operations are aligned with the strategic objectives at the national level, strategic military aims, and operational objectives and are conducted under the legal framework, to be legitimate under International Humanitarian Law and the Law of War, observing faithfully the rules and principles which regulate it.
4. Within the framework of the operating rules that govern the military doctrine and the international legal system, the Military Forces and direct operations against legitimate targets of organized armed groups (ELN, dissidents of the Farc, Caparros and Pelusos), who are responsible for the trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, murder of social leaders, forced displacement of communities, forced recruitment, and damage to the environment, who using a criminal strategy that seeks to destabilize the constitutional order.
5. All military operations where there are arrests, surrenders to justice, recovery of children and deaths are always accompanied by Judicial Police, in order to conduct urgent acts. To do this, the Military Forces put into custody of the control institutions, all information, documents and material related to military operations, according to what is established by law to advance on the investigative proceedings as appropriate.
6. It is not a responsibility of the Ministry of Defence to determine the sex or biological age of persons who died in military operations. This is a responsibility of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences-in accordance with its functions provided for in Law 938 of 2004; such information is under legal reserve, of which the Military Forces are not recipients.
7. The Military Forces are part of the constitutional structure of the State, and their mission contributes directly to the fulfillment of the purposes listed in article 2 of the Political Constitution; mainly, in the protection of superior goods for the nation such as defending national independence, defending sovereignty, maintaining good territorial physical condition and ensuring peaceful coexistence and the validity of a just order; at the same time, acting as collaborators and defenders of the State, protectors of citizens and guarantors of democracy.
8. The recruitment of minors is a war crime, which must be condemned by all sectors of society, since it has been a systematic and historical practice carried out by all organized armed groups; those groups are called to respond for this behavior severely condemned by the International Humanitarian Law (article 77.2 of protocol I of the Geneva 1977, and article 4.3 c of Protocol II additional to the Geneva Conventions) such as the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child of the 2000 United Nations –approved by Law 833 2003 - and, in turn, by the Statute of the International Criminal Court 1998 -approved by Law 742, 2002-.
9. The Military Forces have as their central axis the protection of civilians, natural resources, sovereignty, and independence in order to contribute to the peace and stability of the territory against threats that may strike Colombians.
