Two Colombian soldiers are killed and two others injured on Wednesday after an explosive device, allegedly placed by the FARC, was detonated.

The explosion occurred near the town of El Milagro in the eastern Arauca department near the Venezuela border.

The soldiers killed were part of a mobile brigade carrying out operations against the FARC’s 10th front which operates in the region.

Reports indicate that the two injured soldiers suffered serious shrapnel wounds and were taken to a hospital in the department’s capital city of Arauca where there is no word on their conditions.

The Arauca department has long been considered one of the epicenters of the Colombian armed conflict. According to Colombian NGO Nuevo Arco Iris, ELN and FARC guerrillas have largely replaced state institutions in large parts of the department.

MORE: Security in northeastern Colombia worsens after new rebel attacks

View El Milagro, Arauca in a larger map

Sources

• Emboscada de las Farc deja 2 militares muertos y 2 mas heridos en Arauca (Santa Fe Radio)
• Guerrilla ataca patrulla militar con explosivos, dos muertos y dos heridos (La voz del Cinaruco)