BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A car bomb and another attack on a Colombian police helicopter killed at least 17 people Thursday, authorities said. President Gustavopetro Both attacks attributed to opponents of Colombia’s invalid revolutionary army, commonly known as FARC.
At least 12 police officers were killed in the attack on the helicopter, as authorities were transporting personnel to the Antioch area in northern Colombia to eradicate coca leaf crops. cocaine. Peter initially reported eight policemen had died, but Antioch Gov. Andre Julian said four others later died and three remained injured.
The governor of Antioch said in X that the drone attacked the helicopter when the helicopter flew a coca leaf crop. Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said the preliminary information indicates that the attack caused a fire to the aircraft.
Meanwhile, authorities in the southwestern city of Cali reported that a vehicle loaded with explosives exploded near a military aviation school, killing five people and injuring more than 30 people. The Columbia Air Force immediately did not provide additional details of the explosion.
Peter was the first to blame The Wangan clanThe country’s largest active drug cartel for attacks on helicopters. He said the aircraft targeted retaliation for a cocaine attack, which is allegedly part of the group.
The president said the suspects of opposition groups have been arrested in the area where the blast was explosive.
Both the FARC opposition, who rejected a peace agreement with the government in 2016, and the members of the Gulf Clan, are active in Antioch.
Coca leaf cultivation is on the rise in Colombia. The growing area reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report available from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
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