Six minors killed in army airstrikes on rebels in Colombia VIDEO

The Colombian ombudsman reported the deaths of six minors in airstrikes carried out by the army on rebels in the Amazon River region in the southernmost part of the country, Agence France-Presse reported.

The agency notes that under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who demands more action against drug trafficking, his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro has stepped up the offensive against armed groups. Twenty-eight people have been killed in bombings in the past week, the deadliest of which, in the southern department of Guavira, killed 19 people. In an audio recording sent to media outlets today, the South American country's ombudsman, Iris Marin, said that among those killed in the attack were six minors who had been forcibly recruited into a faction that broke away from the leftist guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Marin expressed regret for the victims and blamed the FARC dissidents.

On Tuesday, the Colombian army announced that it had rescued three minors held by the rebels, AFP reported.