Paraguay: Three soldiers died in an explosion | The soldiers were traveling on a dirt road in the department of San Pedro

The President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, attended this Friday in the wake of the three soldiers died in an attack Thursday evening in the department of San Pedro. The uniforms were members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and died after an explosion which destroyed the vehicle in which they were traveling. So far, the attack has not been attributed to any group.

In the town of Asunción, some 500 kilometers from the scene of the attack, the soldiers identified by the Paraguayan press as: Lauro Ramón Monzón Acosta, Eulalio Espinoza (both infantry sergeants) and Mauricio Pérez Paredes, materiel sergeant military, were veiled. FTC members were killed by an explosive while driving on a dirt road in the department of San Pedro, north of the capital. The deceased soldiers were carrying logistical material. Viralized photographs show that the truck was completely destroyed by the impact of the explosion.

FTC spokesman Lt. Col. Luis Apesteguia said the three sergeants were the only crew in the vehicle at the time of the explosion. Apesteguía added that the truck was accompanied by another car with six soldiers, who repelled further fire from the attackers who were close to the detonation. Security forces will also analyze the remains of the truck and the surrounding area to determine the type of device used in the attack. In addition, the prosecution has organized a team to investigate on the ground.

Two explosions

According to the local newspaper ABCTechnicians from the prosecutor’s office investigating the area where the attack occurred determined that there had been two explosions, one of which was triggered when the Mercedes Benz military truck passed over the explosive device. While about 700 meters from the first detonation, a second was carried out manually, which according to the morning was intended to cover the escape of the attackers. The incident took place at the Pa’i Cuará ranch, about 36 kilometers from an FTC camp, created by the government to fight the Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) and the Armed Peasant Group (ACA), a split from the old organization, operating in the area.

Tax Federico delfino He visited the area where the detonations took place and although he has not yet confirmed who was responsible for the attack, he pointed the finger at the EPP and said the chances that they are responsible are ” very high “.

“We have a very strong presumption that this homicidal criminal group was the perpetrator because of the circumstances surrounding the case, the area in which it was produced and the use of a high explosive. characteristic that appears to be handcrafted “Delfino argued.

“In order to have more light on the circumstances of this event, we will bring the statements to them (to the military) to have more information on how the events happened, if there was any type exchange of fire with the aggressor group, added the fiscal.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Arnaldo Giuzzio, He assured that he would ask the help of the allied countries to agree on a collaboration and also indicated that this Friday he will meet Abdo Benítez to discuss the strategies they will apply in the northern part of the country, where the attack has occurred.

International support

“It’s a guerrilla war. The FTC has several establishments covered, the Police must also join in this action and we should probably install more presence and technology in the breeding establishments. It is only with their presence that they will certainly not be repeated and with the most precise information, I think that they will give us a better strategy and will ask for support at the international level ”, declared the minister quoted by the morning newspaper. Last hour.

Regarding international support, Giuzzio claimed to have been contacted by allied countries interested in what happened on Thursday, although he did not specify who those allies would be. “Right now we are going to feel a bit of the loss and the following days we are going to sit down and discuss with them what kind of cooperation we can have in the north of the country”, he commented in a communication with Monumental radio. 1080 AM.

While the board of directors of the Senate of Paraguay held a closed meeting to analyze the attack. According to the local newspaper The nation, the group of senators decided to convene next Monday an extraordinary session during which they will propose a change in the strategy of the FTC. In addition, the Senate Human Rights Commission expressed its total rejection of the attack on the FTC.

Front Guasú

The consultation of the left parties, Frente Guasú, of the former president and current senator Fernando Lugo, expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and called on the executive and the prosecution “to deepen quickly and effectively an investigation that clarifies the facts and result from the arrest and punishment of those responsible for such criminal acts.

The attack was also repudiated by Hugo richer, senator of the Guasú Front, who assured that one of the first victories of the government and the FTC will be to conquer the population living in the zones of influence of the Paraguayan People’s Army (PPE) and the Association Paysanne Armée (ACA). Although he also recalled that the inhabitants of the area are not only afraid of the armed groups, but also of the FTC. “A lot of people in this part of the country are afraid of drug dealers, the so-called PEPs and their derivatives, and they are also afraid of the Joint Task Force, and that is a political defeat,” he said. declared.

Agents interviewed

Members of the Joint Task Force are widely questioned, especially after the disappearance of Lichita, a teenage girl fleeing the FTC who was last seen alive on November 30, 2020. On September 2, a few months before the teenager’s disappearance, two cousins ​​of Lichita: Lilian and María del Carmen, of Argentine nationality, died after an FTC operation against the PPE camp.

A day later, President Abdo Benitez visited this location and claimed that it was a successful operation in which two guerrillas were killed. The president was referring to the two girls who had lost their lives. He then reported that the EPP was recruiting minors and that Lichita’s cousins ​​were part of the guerrillas, they also disclosed photos of their bodies where they appear dressed in military uniforms. The girls’ family reported that it was a montage. In addition, we learned that the FTC had buried them less than 24 hours after the events, without conducting any relevant investigations, and the clothes they were seen in in the photos were burnt.