Ten-year-old boy killed in Colombia's first drone death

Colombia's defence ministry and a rebel group blame each other for the attack

A 10-year-old boy has been killed in a drone attack, becoming the first person to die in such an attack in Colombia, according to the nation's defence ministry.

Colombia's army commander said a grenade had fallen from the drone onto a football field in the town of El Plateado, leaving 12 other people injured.

The ministry said Wednesday's attack was targeting soldiers and blamed the Carlos Patiño Front, a group of dissident guerrillas who broke away from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) when the Farc signed a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016.

A leader of the Carlos Patiño Front, Kevin Arcos, denied responsibility when contacted by AFP and blamed Colombia's army.

Defence minister Iván Velásquez expressed solidarity with the boy's family in a post on X, saying there would be a military offensive to "capture those responsible".

The incident in the southern Cauca region highlights the ongoing violence in the South American country.

Dissident guerrilla groups are increasingly using commercially available drones to drop explosives.

In June, the Colombian army reported 17 drone attacks over six weeks, with no resulting deaths.

Drones have also been used by Colombia's government to increase surveillance.

Colombia's left-wing President Gustavo Petro is a former guerrilla fighter and has promised to bring peace by negotiating with remaining rebel groups.

The 2016 peace deal between the government and Farc aimed to end five decades of armed conflict, in which more than 260,000 people were killed and millions internally displaced.