An attack on a Colombian National Police helicopter and a suspected car bombing near a military air base killed at least 19 people Thursday in what Colombian authorities are describing as terrorist acts.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear whether the events are related.<\/p>\n
The police helicopter was attacked by a drone in the department of Antioquia as it was supporting the manual eradication of illicit crops in the area, Antioquia Gov. Andr\u00e9s Juli\u00e1n Rend\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n
The governor posted a video that appears to show the helicopter crashing into a hill.<\/p>\n
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Arnulfo S\u00e1nchez said the attack was carried out by the 36th Front of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a disbanded leftist guerrilla group.<\/p>\n
At least 13 officers were killed, according to National Police Director Carlos Fernando Triana Beltr\u00e1n, who described the attack as a \u201cterrorist act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, President Gustavo Petro suggested the powerful criminal syndicate Gulf Clan might be involved, noting the attack came after the seizure of 1.5 tons of cocaine in the Urab\u00e1 region of Antioquia. But he later blamed the 36th Front of EMC.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the military said it was firing artillery to try to neutralize the group that brought down the helicopter.<\/p>\n
The blast left at least six people dead and 78 wounded, the mayor\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
The Colombian Aerospace Force described it as a \u201cterrorist attack,\u201d saying it was perpetrated with a car bomb.<\/p>\n
Authorities have secured the city\u2019s entrances and exits, the mayor\u2019s office said, and temporarily restricted the movement of trucks.<\/p>\n
Mayor Alejandro Eder said emergency services were treating the injured. He announced a reward of 400 million pesos (just under $100,000) for anyone providing information about the attack.<\/p>\n
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.<\/p>\n
In June, a series of attacks in Cali and other towns in Cauca left at least seven dead and 28 injured. At the time, the prosecutor\u2019s office said the attacks were in response to the 2022 death of a local leader of the FARC dissidents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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