Colombian defense authorities ordered an extra 2,500 army soldiers to reinforce security in Corinto, the south-west Colombian town where nine soldiers were killed in a surprise guerrilla attack early Tuesday morning.
The decision to reinforce the present security force was taken by Defense Minister Gabriel Silva and Armed Forces commander Freddy Padilla in an improvised security council.
According to commanding General Oscar Gonzalez, the extra troops specialized in both urban and rural combat and territory control.
The Defense Minister also offered a 2 billion peso reward for information leading the arrest of Edgar Lopez Gomez, alias Pacho Chino, who is considered the guerrilla commander in charge of the attack.
The region around Corinto, 20 miles south east of Cali, is considered of great strategic importance to the FARC and used for the trafficking of both weapons and drugs. The guerrillas attack towns and troops in the region on a regular basis.