Two killed as Colombia steps up airstrikes against rebels

Two rebels were killed in airstrikes ordered by Colombia's new government, a military source told AFP Tuesday, after Bogota pledged to fight a scourge of violence gripping the nation.

A decade after landmark peace accords, pockets of Colombia are still ruled by dissident armed groups that dominate world cocaine production and wreak havoc on local communities.

Following a legal career that saw him represent drug-trafficking paramilitaries, fraudsters and football stars, newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella promised he would restore order after taking office on Friday.

The offensive against the National Liberation Army (ELN) -- the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas -- was carried out late Monday in the northeastern Catatumbo region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Violent guerrilla clashes since early last year have killed over 100 people and displaced tens of thousands more in the rural area that borders Venezuela.

The strikes wounded at least three civilians, including a 44-year-old woman, in a village in the municipality of San Calixto, according to the state ombudsman's office.

Several families were also forced to leave their homes, the agency said.

The Defense Ministry said there was an "emphasis on protecting the civilian population," adding that it destroyed two bunkers and five guerrilla camps.

Ground troops later seized 1.5 tons of explosives, including more than 400 grenades "adapted to be launched from drones," as well as several automatic rifles and ammunition.

De la Espriella, who replaced leftist Gustavo Petro in office, vowed to halt his predecessor's unsuccessful peace negotiations with armed groups and to confront "narcoterrorism without respite."

In his first weekend as president, six members of illegal groups were killed during a military operation carried out in several parts of the country.