Three soldiers were killed and another three injured Monday after stepping on landmines during an alleged FARC attack in southwestern Colombia, reported local media.
According to reports, security forces were carrying out an antinarcotics operation in the municipality of Argelia in the Cauca department, where the FARC had allegedly organized a shipment of cocaine to arrive, when the clash began.
Troops from the 29th Brigade stepped on a minefield while in pursuit of rebel forces from FARC’s 30th and 60th Fronts, Secretary of Cauca Government Milena Edith Cabezas told local media.
Cabezas announced an urgent meeting with the military command and afterwords revealed plans to increase military presence in the zone from the Cauca department to the Pacific Ocean.
Argelia is considered a strategic location for drug traffickers in the region and has been the site of several reported FARC attacks this year.