# Colombia says 13 ELN members killed in coordinated operations in Bolívar and Arauca
At least 13 members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, were killed in clashes with Colombia's police and armed forces on the event date, according to El Publico Tv. The report said the operations took place in the departments of Bolívar and Arauca and were part of a broader security push against the armed group.
The article said six ELN fighters were killed in Arauca, while seven more were killed in rural San Pablo, Bolívar. It also said four people were captured there, three minors recruited illegally were recovered, and a hostage was freed. Those details make the operation more than a simple body-count update: authorities were also trying to recover civilians and minors allegedly drawn into the conflict.
The source also reported that the forces seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition, including long guns, pistols, drones, and thousands of rounds. In Bolívar, it said authorities recovered 11 firearms, among them nine rifles. In Arauca, it said 13 long guns and seven short guns were seized, along with more than 2,000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition and other munitions.
The excerpt linked the operation to the ELN's broader campaign against security forces and civilians in several regions, including extortion in rural areas and attacks on oil infrastructure. It also noted that authorities blamed the Domingo Laín Sanz front for an attack in Puerro Jordán that killed three soldiers and wounded more than 28 uniformed personnel. That context helps explain why the latest clashes were treated as part of an ongoing conflict rather than an isolated raid.
Because the only supplied source is a local report, the details should be read as a fast-moving operational account rather than a final forensic record. The article did not identify the dead individually, and it did not explain whether the deaths came from direct combat, airstrikes, or raids. It also did not specify whether the captured people were combatants or alleged collaborators.
Even so, the reported result is clear enough: a Colombian security operation in two regions ended with 13 ELN members dead, several captures, and the recovery of minors and a hostage. In a conflict that often moves between rural ambushes, extortion networks, and state counteroffensives, those numbers are likely to shape both the military narrative and the political debate over the government's security strategy.
Event date: 2024-11-15.
