At least 19 people were killed in the Venezuelan army's recent attack on a Colombian guerrilla group's camp inside Venezuela, an NGO and a source close to the operation said Sunday (November 1, 2026).
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NGO → kill → operation
The FundaRedes NGO — which monitors rights violations in Venezuela's border states — initially reported nine deaths in the attack early Friday (October 30) morning in the western state of Apure.
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which → monitor → Apure
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Juan Francisco Garcia, a coordinator with the group, told AFP on Sunday (November 1) that "another 10 bodies" had been transported to the state capital, San Fernando, the day after the attack.
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bodies → read → attack
The attack targeted a camp of the National Liberation Army, a Colombian guerrilla group known by its Spanish initials, ELN.
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attack → target → initials
Video shared by FundaRedes (Venezuelan NGO) showed bodies lying on the ground, trees knocked down and the ruins of what appeared to be a campsite.
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what → share → ground
A Venezuelan military source close to the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack had been supported by U.S. intelligence.
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attack → speak → intelligence
"We had help from the CIA and the FBI.
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We → have → CIA
This was an order from the United States," the source said.
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source → say → States
Requests for comment from the U.S. State Department and Venezuelan government were not immediately answered.
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Requests → answer → Department
The strikes were carried out by drones and attack helicopters targeting the camp, which was located in a rural, forested area in the southwest of Apure, the military source said.
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source → carry → Apure
The attack took the guerrillas by surprise — they had no time to react, the source said, noting that most of the people killed were Venezuelan nationals.
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most → take → people
After the attack, bodies were initially transported to the town of Puerto Paez, which lies across a river from Colombia.
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which → transport → Colombia
Several armed groups engage in drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling along Venezuela and Colombia's porous 2,200-kilometer (1,367-mile) border, including dissident members of the now-defunct FARC and the ELN.
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groups → engage → FARC
The ELN has been among the most powerful rebel groups in Latin America since the FARC guerrilla army signed a peace accord with the Bogota government in 2016.
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army → sign → 2016
The military operation along the border may represent the latest shift in Venezuelan policy since the U.S. ouster of Nicolas Maduro in January.
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operation → represent → January
Venezuela's government has since been led by Delcy Rodriguez, Mr. Maduro's former deputy, who has won vocal support from U.S. President Donald Trump for bending to his administration's demands.
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who → lead → demands
Colombia has, for years, accused Venezuela's leftist government of turning a blind eye to Colombian rebel groups in border areas.
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Colombia → accuse → areas
Human rights advocate and military affairs expert Rocio San Miguel said the Friday (October 30) attack reflects a "change in doctrine" within the Venezuelan military.
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attack → say → military
The military source told AFP that Venezuelan forces were "going to continue combing through the area because we believe there are more camps."
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we → tell → area
The operation also comes as Colombia's newly elected hard-right President, Abelardo de la Espriella, ramps up a violent crackdown on the ELN and drug trafficking groups in his country.
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President → come → country
Colombia has joined over a dozen other Latin American and Caribbean nations in a U.S.-led regional effort to combat drug trafficking and organized crime across the region.
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Colombia → join → region
The Aporia
