FARC attack same town 3 times in 6 weeks

The FARC reportedly attacked a military checkpoint in a town in the southwest Colombian department of Cauca, the town’s third attack in six weeks, Caracol Radio reported Friday.

Community members in the town of Caloto heard loud explosions and bursts of machine gun fire but no casualties were reported at the town hospital which remains on alert.

Commerce in the town shut down amid fears about the situation of public order.

Caloto was the scene of a helicopter attack on March 1 which left six people dead, including four police officers. In the same location, a suspected FARC car bomb was disabled on March 28. The surrounding area in the north of Cauca is experiencing intense fighting between security forces and the FARC.

Troops from the Army’s 3rd Brigade have been mobilized, as have anti-guerrilla units from the police supported by the Air Force to retake control of the rural area.

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