BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A car bomb and a separate attack on a police helicopter in Colombia killed at least 17 people on Thursday, authorities said. President Gustavo Petro attributed both attacks to dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
At least 12 police officers died in the helicopter attack, which was transporting personnel to Antioquia in northern Colombia for coca crop eradication, the raw material for cocaine. Initially, Petro reported eight officers killed, but Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián later confirmed four more deaths and said three remain injured.
The governor noted on X that a drone attacked the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf fields. Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said preliminary information indicates the attack caused a fire on the aircraft.
Meanwhile, authorities in Cali, southwestern Colombia, reported that a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated near a military aviation school, killing five people and injuring over 30. The Colombian Air Force has not immediately provided further details about the explosion.
President Gustavo Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, the country’s largest active drug cartel, for the helicopter attack, saying the aircraft was targeted in retaliation for a cocaine seizure allegedly belonging to the group.
An alleged member of the dissident group was reportedly arrested near the site of the explosion, authorities said.
Both FARC dissidents, who rejected a 2016 peace agreement, and members of the Gulf Clan operate in Antioquia, the region where the attack occurred.
Coca leaf cultivation is increasing in Colombia, reaching a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. (Agencies)
