Operation JM
Encyclopedia
Operation JM was a military operation by the Military of Colombia
Joint Task Force OMEGA
intended to capture or kill the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
guerrilla (FARC), as part of the Plan Patriota
. The operations began in April 2004 and after some 30 operations concluded without the main objective being accomplished in December 2006. However, the Colombian military achieved numerous military advances in a region that had been dominated by the guerrillas.
, between the Departments
of Meta
, Caqueta and Guaviare
. The objective of the first operation was to capture or kill FARC guerrilla leader aka "Mono Jojoy" believed to be the military commander of the FARC, and other three members of the secretariat or higher command of the FARC that were believed to be in the area. According to the Colombian military "Mono Jojoy" managed to evade the operation, but 17 of his men were killed and his main camp site was destroyed.
s and leishmaniasis
took a big toll in the Colombian military, some 10,000 soldiers were terminated from the service, this adding to the number of combat casualties suffered.
engaged in combat operations against members of the Southern Bloc of the FARC-EP near the town of Cartagena del Chaira
. General Gilberto Rocha announced that three soldiers and 11 rebels were killed.
and some 1,300 wounded.
Military of Colombia
The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...
Joint Task Force OMEGA
Joint Task Force OMEGA
Joint Task Force OMEGA is a joint task force involving the Military of Colombia in support of Plan Patriota assembled with the main purpose of capturing the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ....
intended to capture or kill the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
guerrilla (FARC), as part of the Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota is military plan developed by the Government of Colombia with the financial support of the Government of the United States in an effort to uproot the guerrilla groups in Colombia, more specifically the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army...
. The operations began in April 2004 and after some 30 operations concluded without the main objective being accomplished in December 2006. However, the Colombian military achieved numerous military advances in a region that had been dominated by the guerrillas.
2004
Military operations started on April 2004 in the jungle area known as Llanos del Yarí and in the area of the former El Caguan demilitarized zoneEl Caguán DMZ
El Caguán DMZ was a demilitarized zone of 42,000 km² in southern Colombia authorized by the government of President Andrés Pastrana to negotiate a peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ....
, between the Departments
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Meta
Meta Department
Meta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio...
, Caqueta and Guaviare
Guaviare Department
Guaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia...
. The objective of the first operation was to capture or kill FARC guerrilla leader aka "Mono Jojoy" believed to be the military commander of the FARC, and other three members of the secretariat or higher command of the FARC that were believed to be in the area. According to the Colombian military "Mono Jojoy" managed to evade the operation, but 17 of his men were killed and his main camp site was destroyed.
2005
In 2005 land mineLand mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s and leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
took a big toll in the Colombian military, some 10,000 soldiers were terminated from the service, this adding to the number of combat casualties suffered.
2006
On November 20, 2006, the Joint Task Force OMEGAJoint Task Force OMEGA
Joint Task Force OMEGA is a joint task force involving the Military of Colombia in support of Plan Patriota assembled with the main purpose of capturing the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ....
engaged in combat operations against members of the Southern Bloc of the FARC-EP near the town of Cartagena del Chaira
Cartagena del Chairá
Cartagena del Chairá is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Caquetá. The town gained notoriety during the failed FARC-Government peace process between the Government of Colombia and the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia which still maintains operations and...
. General Gilberto Rocha announced that three soldiers and 11 rebels were killed.
Results
The main objective of the operation was not accomplished but major advances against the guerrilla were accomplished. Initially the theater of operations covered a total area of 85,000 km² where some 150 thousand civilians live and approximately 4,350 members of the FARC operated. By the end of the operation the Colombian military calculated that there were 2,525 guerrillas still operating in the area. The Colombian military also destroyed some 35,000 h of illegal crops and by the end of operations there were some 15,000 h left to destroy. The Colombian Army also neutralized mobility corridors and road networks that the FARC had set up in the region and recovered fluvial navigation in the Guayabero, Caguan River, Vaupes and Yari rivers. There were also 137 members of the Colombian military killed in actionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
and some 1,300 wounded.