Key facts
- President Abelardo de la Espriella said he personally authorized the air strike targeting the Gulf Clan in Antioquia.
- De la Espriella said Haminton Mosquera was suspected of ordering attacks on security forces, including a police officer's murder in Tarazá last year.
- The Gulf Clan traffics cocaine to the US and Europe and was added to the US Foreign Terrorist Organisations list last year, per the report.
- De la Espriella said "the offensive won't stop" and vowed to regain control of areas held by criminal organizations.
Colombia's armed forces killed eight people, including a senior leader of the Gulf Clan, in an air strike in Antioquia province, President Abelardo de la Espriella said on November 12, 2026. De la Espriella said he personally authorized the bombing and that Haminton Mosquera, whom he described as a senior member of the gang and one of 10 priority targets for Colombia's security forces, had been brought down.
In a post on X, the president said Mosquera was suspected of ordering attacks against security forces, including the murder of a police officer in the municipality of Tarazá last year. De la Espriella said "the offensive won't stop" and vowed to regain control of areas controlled by criminal organizations such as the Gulf Clan.
The Gulf Clan has engaged in criminal activities for decades, mainly trafficking cocaine from Colombia to the US and Europe, but also illegal mining and people smuggling. The US added it to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations last year.
De la Espriella was elected in June after campaigning on a promise to crack down on Colombia's criminal gangs, including by launching air strikes. His offensive has been welcomed by many living in areas where extortion and gang violence are rampant, but he has faced criticism for how he has made some security announcements. Less than a month after taking office, he published a video showing him walking among 23 body bags containing the remains of 23 people killed in an air strike on a suspected guerrilla camp. On Wednesday, he shared a photo of himself writing his campaign slogan, "Welcome to the miracle homeland", on a bomb.
He has also defended wearing an army uniform at a recent event in Cúcuta where he confronted a detainee suspected of being a Farc rebel. He later told journalists he wore the uniform because "I am a soldier of the homeland."