The Colombian army has prevented an alleged FARC attack in the southwest department of Cauca, reported local media.
According to the commander of Mobile Brigade No.14, his group intercepted the FARC’s 6th Front on Wednesday morning before it could complete its mission of detonating home-made “tatuco” bombs on a telecommunications tower and a bridge near the town of Caloto.
He said guerrillas attacked the soldiers with gunfire and more than 55 bombs in a battle that lasted until nightfall and left five rebels dead. Another insurgent, alias “Oscar,” was taken to a local hospital for surgery.
Two civilians, a mother and daughter, were injured when explosives detonated close to severel homes in Caloto. The officer reported that the women only had minor injuries “because they were able to protect themselves behind a wall in the back of the house.”
A Calato resident who had fled to a shelter when the fighting began reported that her house had been damaged and said, “Many of the houses in town are damaged. One of my neighbors was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. What if I had stayed here?”
