Colombia · Security
Drones dropped explosives on a Colombian Army armoured vehicle in the village of San Roque, in the northern department of Cesar, on Friday, 13 November 2026, and one soldier was wounded. It came a day after another drone attack on the village police station.
The soldier was taken to a health centre in the municipality of Curumaní, which includes San Roque, and is out of danger at last report. At least two blasts were heard, and the Army had not issued an official statement by Friday evening.
Key Facts
—Who. One Colombian Army soldier wounded; he is out of danger at last report
—What. Drones dropped explosives on an Army vehicle of Task Force Urano, an anti-fuel-theft operation; two blasts
—Where and when. San Roque, a village in Curumaní, Cesar, northern Colombia; Friday, 13 November 2026
—Responsibility. No armed group has been named, and the Army has not commented officially
—As of. 14 November 2026, 11:00 GMT
—Power Index. Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.1 points (November 2026 edition).
What We Know
The vehicle belongs to Joint Task Force Urano, and such armoured vehicles are known in Colombia as tanquetas. The wounded soldier is receiving care in Curumaní.
On Thursday, 12 November, drones dropped explosives on the San Roque police substation. Eduardo Esquivel, the department’s Secretary of Government, said the injured officers were not in danger, and local accounts differ on whether two or three were lightly hurt.
An extraordinary security council was held after the police attack, and Governor Elvia Milena Sanjuán Dávila is the department’s top elected official. Esquivel said police will stay in San Roque and that more uniformed personnel will arrive.
The State Response So Far
Drones strike from above, which is why the Cesar state government (the Gobernación) said on 31 August that it had sent four engineering teams to assess police stations for drone protection. Protective mesh is among the options it named (Gobernación del Cesar bulletin, 31 August 2026).
On 19 October the same government reported that Operation Urano had cut hydrocarbon theft in southern Cesar by about 55%, and that it had bought 100 drone detectors for 1,230 million pesos (about US$372,000). It also raised its reward for information on drone operators to up to 150 million pesos (about US$45,400), at about 3,300 pesos per US dollar (recent market rate) (Gobernación del Cesar bulletin, 19 October 2026).
What Is Not Known
No official has said which group carried out the Friday attack, and the Army has not described the wounded soldier’s condition beyond “out of danger”. An earlier drone attack on the same police station, on 7 August, killed a police officer and was attributed to the ELN, a Colombian guerrilla group, but that does not establish who struck this time.
What It Means for You
San Roque is a small rural village, and the targets in both attacks were Colombian security forces. For readers who follow Colombian energy supply, the area matters because Urano targets fuel theft in southern Cesar, according to the state government.
Earlier attacks and the state response are in our report on anti-drone systems sent to five Cesar towns, our coverage of a deadlier drone attack in Tibú, and the Colombia news hub. Each shows how drones have changed the threat to Colombian security forces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who attacked the Army vehicle in San Roque?
No armed group has been named. The Army had not issued an official statement by Friday evening, 13 November 2026.
How many people were hurt in San Roque this week?
One soldier was wounded on Friday, 13 November, and he is out of danger. Two or three police officers were lightly hurt on Thursday, 12 November, depending on the account.
Where is Curumaní?
Curumaní is a municipality in the department of Cesar, in northern Colombia. San Roque is a village within it.
Sources
Primary sources: Gobernación del Cesar, bulletin 2026-89, 31 August 2026; Gobernación del Cesar, bulletin 2026-105, 19 October 2026; statements by Cesar officials after the 12 November security council. The Army has issued no official statement on the 13 November attack.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error