At least 12 alleged drug traffickers were killed and five camps destroyed early Tuesday in what is called "the first direct bombing of a criminal ring" conducted by Colombian Air Force.

The offensive, jointly conducted by police and the military forces with aerial backing, took place in Unguia in the northeast department of Choco, the El Tiempo daily reported, quoting Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas as saying operations were still going on.

The offensive targeted a group called the Usuga Clan, which traffics in drugs and runs an extortion ring, among other crimes, and led to the seizure of abundant weapons, Villegas said.

Rodolfo Palomino, head of the police force, who had been dispatched to Uraba to coordinate the operations, said: "we are exactly in one of the organization's camps, where ... there could be a mixture between the Usuga Clan and the ELN."

The ELN, or the National Liberation Army, is Colombia's second-largest leftist guerrilla group.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos praised the armed forces and police via Twitter for their "actions against criminal groups in Uraba dedicated to terrorism and drug trafficking." Endi

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