Cúcuta, Colombia—A weaponized drone carrying an explosive payload detonated inside the administrative compound of Tibú Airport on Tuesday, injuring three ground workers and causing significant structural damage. The aerial device was piloted into the terminal area during morning maintenance operations, shattering windows and triggering a localized fire in the cargo sorting facility. Army units deployed armored vehicles to secure the perimeter while civil aviation authorities halted all regional flights.

Military intelligence officers immediately attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army, or ELN, which maintains a heavy presence in the surrounding Catatumbo region. The border zone is heavily contested by rival insurgent factions and drug-trafficking cartels vying for control of lucrative smuggling corridors into neighboring Venezuela. This latest strike represents a marked escalation in the domestic use of commercial drones modified to drop military-grade ordnance.

First responders treated the three wounded terminal employees for shrapnel injuries and blast-induced hearing loss before transferring them to a hospital in Cúcuta. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, though the explosion destroyed a substantial portion of the facility's communications network. Local air traffic controllers had to evacuate the main tower due to lingering toxic smoke from burning plastic and insulation.

"The blast wave was incredibly strong, throwing debris across the active runway," said a local security contractor who spoke on condition of anonymity due to reprisal risks. He noted that armed groups have been using surveillance drones for months, but this is the first time they have successfully executed a direct attack on the municipal aviation hub. Security teams are currently reviewing security camera footage to trace the drone's launch point.

The Colombian Civil Aeronautics Authority issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law regarding civilian transport infrastructure. The agency confirmed that flight operations to and from Tibú will remain suspended indefinitely while police bomb squads sweep the tarmac for unexploded devices. The suspension isolates several remote farming communities that depend on air transport for medical supplies.

This attack comes amid heightened political tensions as the country prepares for a hardline presidential transition next month. The president-elect has vowed to dismantle ongoing peace negotiations with guerrilla groups and restart aggressive military operations in conflict zones like Catatumbo. Local analysts fear that the transition window will see a surge in asymmetric attacks as insurgent groups attempt to project territorial strength.

Army infantry units have launched a sweep of the dense coca-growing valleys surrounding the airfield to locate the drone operators. The search is complicated by extensive landmine fields planted by the guerrillas along the rural approach trails. The local population remains confined to their homes under an informal curfew imposed by the armed groups.

Security forces have established sandbagged defensive positions around the airport terminal to ward off further aerial incursions. Heavy machinery is slowly clearing the shattered glass and twisted metal from the administrative offices, but the airfield itself remains completely quiet.