Follow Al Rai
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella sent troops to Santa Marta on Tuesday, after an armed group attacked shops and burned vehicles across the coastal city on the Caribbean Sea.
Videos circulating online showed armed men on motorcycles patrolling the city in northern Colombia, shooting at open shops, burning trucks, and blocking roads.
Santa Marta is a gateway to the Tayrona National Park overlooking the Caribbean Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts large numbers of foreign tourists.
A burning truck was seen in the middle of a road and a charred bus on another street, while dozens of shops closed and parts of the city were deserted, amid rumors that the group had ordered residents to restrict their movement.
The violence came after the president announced that authorities had killed 13 members of a group calling itself the 'Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada,' which controls cocaine trafficking routes.
De la Espriella later said in a video statement, "I ordered the deployment of the army in Santa Marta."
He added that "these criminals are trying to burn a large part of the Caribbean region" in response to the military operation against the group, vowing that "those who do not surrender will be eliminated," and announcing his intention to go to the city to oversee security operations.
A police spokesman told AFP that security forces had increased their presence in the city's commercial areas.
Army units were deployed on the highway linking Santa Marta to La Guajira province on the border with Venezuela, where the group is also active.
De la Espriella, a U.S.-backed millionaire, pledged to deal with Colombia's numerous drug trafficking groups with an iron fist when he took office in August.
Know more about this story?Send us a tip
Ask about this report — answers stay grounded in its text.
