Farc dissidents attacked the Tesalia Police Station in Huila with long-range weapons and apparent explosives on the night of December 5. No fatalities were reported, though several vehicles were set on fire. Security forces swiftly deployed aerial and ground reinforcements.
The attack took place around midnight in downtown Tesalia, a municipality in western Huila, causing tension among residents. The Huila Police Department reported that an illegal armed group carried out the assault using rifle bursts and explosions that echoed across several areas. Videos recorded by locals and shared on social media showed the gunfire and blasts, along with damage to vehicles whose full extent is still under assessment.
Huila's Government Secretary, Juan Carlos Casallas, provided details: “A harassment occurred against the Tesalia Police Station. Members of an illegal armed group, using long-range weapons, targeted the station. So far, the report indicates no injured or dead police officers. We are confirming if drones or cylinders were used in the attack. There appear to have been very strong explosions, and additionally, we have information that there seems to have been an explosion near the La Paz bridge, over the Paz River, connecting the road between Tesalia and Paicol”.
In response, the Ministry of Defense coordinated the deployment of an armed helicopter and troops from the Fifth Division of the National Army, along with the No. 4 Combat Aviation Battalion. These forces assisted the National Police's GOES group in securing the area and pursuing the attackers, who fled toward the Pacarní sector using the darkness and terrain to their advantage.
Colonel Henry Herrera Arenas, commander of the Ninth Brigade, stated: “National Army troops were deployed to Tesalia municipality, thanks to the support of the Colombian Air Force, who, in coordination with our National Police's GOES group, arrived to bring tranquility and a voice of support to our brave police who defended democracy, their integrity, and that of the civilian population. We will continue working to strike these criminal structures that only seek to sow terror and fear in the Huila people. They will not defeat us, because our commitment is to Colombia”.
The area is influenced by the Ismael Ruiz and Hernando González structures of the Isaías Pardo Central Block of the Farc dissidents, historically responsible for multiple attacks on security forces and civilians.