An attack attributed to Colombia’s largest rebel group, FARC, on Monday left one soldier and one child dead while at least 26 more were injured in the southern Colombian department of Guaviare.
According to the mayor of the Miraflores municipality, where the attack took place, police went to investigate a fire near the Vaupes River when they were reportedly ambushed by FARC guerrillas. The rebels then allegedly launched a grenade at police which resulted in the two deaths and the dozens of injuries, five of which have been called “grave.” According to sources within a local army unit, there very well could have been even more policemen and civilians wounded, but due to the difficulties in accessing the area it was not possible to verify the numbers.
“This is the hardest attack in [recent] years,” said Mayor Julio Cesar Gonzalez.
According to newspaper El Colombiano, one of the authorities’ theories is that the rebels could have started the fire in order to lure police into an ambush.
The attack reportedly was carried out by the FARC’s 1st Front, which is led by Marco Fidel Suarez.
The Miraflores municipality gained notority in August of 1998, when upwards of 1,000 FARC guerrillas under the leadership of “Mono Jojoy” overran the defenses at a local army base and killed dozens of policemen and captured 129 people.
