Three soldiers and four policemen died in north-eastern Colombia on Saturday when they were ambushed by alleged FARC guerrillas.
According to media reports, the soldiers and policemen were attacked with explosives as they were on their way back from an operation to stop the illegal smuggling of Venezuelan gasoline.
Following the explosives attack, the surviving members of the military were shot. One of the dead policeman was the local police commander.
The attack took place outside Puerto Rondon, a town some 60 miles from the Venezuelan border where the FARC is known to be highly active.
Following the attack, local authorities held a special security meeting to analyze the security situation in the area. The Arauca police commissioner and the commander of the army’s 18th Brigade were immediately transferred to the region to co-ordinate a counter-offensive.