FARC MILITANTS DOWNED A COLOMBIAN POLICE HELICOPTER KILLING 12 OFFICERS AND PUNTLAND FORCES, IN COORDINATION WITH THE US MILITARY, ATTACKED ISIS POSITIONS IN SOMALIA
- Senior Editor
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
August 21-27, 2025 | Issue 32 - Extremism Team
Jacob Robison, Giovanni Lamberti, Christian Collins, Martina Elena Nitti
James Raggio, Editor; Jennifer Loy, Chief Editor
Colombian Police Helicopter After an Attack[1]
Date: August 21, 2025
Location: Antioquia, Colombia
Parties involved: Colombian authorities; Colombian air force; Colombian military; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); terrorist organization Gulf Clan; civilians
The event: FARC militants attacked a police helicopter conducting a crop destruction operation, killing 12 officers.[2]
Analysis & Implications:
The attack will very likely accelerate an expansion of illegal activity towards regional or national borders because of potential retaliatory clashes between Colombian authorities and terrorists. Retaliatory attacks between terrorist groups, such as the FARC and Gulf Clan, and Colombian authorities will likely intensify due to post-attack counterterrorism operations, including targeted raids and joint operations between Colombian air and military forces. The clashes with authorities will likely push terrorists to find alternative regions to operate undisturbed, triggering transregional and transnational proliferation, such as a shift of illegal activity towards the Panamanian border. This widespread rise in illegal activity will likely shift authorities’ focus to a broader area, including regional and national borders, creating opportunities for criminal networks to expand their operations and threaten border security.
FARC groups will likely conduct similar attacks in Antioquia to pressure authorities into retreating from contested zones. They will very likely continue using drone-dropped explosives, as the minimal resource cost and repeatability associated with these attacks are almost certainly enticing to the groups. Similar attacks will very likely strain security forces by forcing them to divert manpower, equipment, and planning efforts towards protecting bases and aircraft, instead of pursuing FARC dissidents, very likely reducing the state’s ability to maintain an offensive posture. This defensive shift will likely prolong clashes as security forces react to attacks rather than disrupt them, intensifying confrontations and likely increasing civilian risk.
Date: August 24, 2025
Location: Puntland
Parties involved: Puntland; Puntland forces; Puntland local leaders; Puntland civilians; Somalia; Somali authorities; Somali branch of the transnational Salafi jihadist militant organization Islamic State (ISIS); extremist groups in the Puntland region; USA
The event: The US, in collaboration with Puntland forces, targeted multiple ISIS locations.[3]
Analysis & Implications:
Foreign intervention in Somalia will very likely provide ISIS with powerful material to reinforce its survival narrative by portraying its fighters as standing against overwhelming foreign aggression. This narrative will likely resonate with local and regional audiences who perceive international involvement as occupation, very likely strengthening ISIS’s claim of defending Somali identity and Islam itself. By framing every airstrike as proof of persecution, ISIS will very likely transform battlefield defeats into propaganda victories that legitimize its struggle and sustain its ideological appeal. As these narratives circulate, they will very likely deepen the group’s long-term resilience by ensuring its cause remains compelling even when its operational capacity is temporarily degraded.
These targeted strikes will likely deepen US influence over Puntland security efforts, shifting Puntland towards dependence on US intervention. Continued reliance on US strikes and support will very likely create doubts among Puntland civilians that local leadership prioritizes domestic interests, such as autonomy and sustained economic growth, likely decreasing civilian trust that the government can provide safety. Concerns about US influence will likely strain government-civilian relations in Puntland, as authorities will very likely grow more reliant on US decision making and support for the remainder of the conflict, fearing the loss of US backing if they attempt to push back. This will very likely expose Puntland to risks associated with rapidly changing foreign agendas, such as a complete withdrawal of external support, very likely exacerbating struggles to contain ISIS and other insurgent threats.
[1] Destroyed Colombian police helicopter, generated by a third-party image database (created by AI)
[2] Car bomb and attack on a helicopter in Colombia kill at least 17, including police officers, AP, August 2025,
[3] U.S. Airstrikes Target ISIS Positions as Puntland Forces Face Fierce Resistance, Shabelle Media Network, August 2025, https://shabellemedia.com/u-s-airstrikes-target-isis-positions-as-puntland-forces-face-fierce-resistance/
