Security Forces in Colombia Under Internal Attack from Infiltrators

A new tactic of targeting the armed forces is becoming apparent in Colombia with the infiltration of the military. This alarming strategy came to light following an incident where a soldier, who had been in service for only eight months, fatally shot three of his fellow soldiers without any warning. Investigations into the tragedy have led army officials to identify the assailant as Alexander Orozco. It is believed that Orozco was acting on behalf of an illegal armed faction, a splinter group from the once-dominant FARC rebels.

Although the relatives of the soldier, who was killed by the military on Februry 28 while trying to flee to Ecuador, have denied that he belonged to any illegal armed group, Colombian Army sources revealed that Orozco, only 19 years old, had been contacted by criminals through social networks, and had been offered a significant amount of money to commit the massacre among his comrades-in-arms.

Three infiltrations reported

Recently, the security forces have denounced three soldiers to the justice system for allegedly being infiltrators from illegal armed groups. In this regard, the military body determined that it “was able to establish” that these uniformed members of the military unit “had allegedly been approached by members of the residual armed group Carolina Ramírez Structure,” which are the dissidents of the Central General Staff.

One of the clues that the investigation has followed is the modus operandi of Alexander Orozco when he shot and killed three of his colleagues. According to a source who spoke to the newspaper El Colombiano, normally when it is an internal dispute, the assassin shoots his target and either flees, leaving the weapon behind, or surrenders. This was not the case with Orozco, who, after the murder, tried to flee to the neighboring country carrying his weapon.

It is also the case that when Orozco was killed in an armed confrontation with the Army, he was accompanied by another person who is now being investigated to see if he could have been an accomplice in his crimes.

Destabilizing the security forces

Official sources have stated that “military operations will be strengthened in the region, with the aim of dismantling criminal structures and attacking the factors of instability present in the region”. The counter-objective pursued by the illegal armed groups with this practice of infiltration is to destabilize the army and steal weapons.

Although the facts of what happened are still under investigation, the Army is aware that infiltration by criminal groups is probable. “There are indications that there may be an infiltration or penetration by one of the residual organized armed groups, presumably the Carolina Ramirez structure,” said Brigadier General Vladimir Nossa, commander of the Army’s Sixth Division.

Recently, the existence of a non-commissioned officer who witnessed the crimes of Private Orozco against his comrades became known, in which the murderer is described as an “infiltrated soldier” due to the way in which the criminal action was carried out.

General Nossa stated that Private Orozco willingly joined the army, bringing with him a clean slate devoid of any criminal or police history. In an interview with Noticias Caracol, the general detailed how illegal armed factions employ two primary tactics to breach the military’s ranks. First, they insert unrecorded active members into the army. Secondly, similar to Private Orozco’s situation, they tempt enlisted soldiers with financial incentives to betray and act criminally against their fellow service members.