An alleged attack on the Colombian army Thursday by the country’s largest rebel group, FARC, injured 32 people, all reported to be civilians.
The attack was allegedly carried out against a military patrol in the Argelia municipality of the southwestern Cauca department Thursday – a municipality that reports that the FARC are responsible for five terrorist attacks there in the last year.
Reports indicate that the only persons injured were civilians including nine minors. Local buildings were also reported to be damaged.
The Valle del Cauca department which sits just above Cauca in the country’s southwest, also saw a violent day. Three people died in the department’s capital, Cali, when a gunman entered a house and started shooting indiscriminately.
In a separate incident, a small grenade was detonated outside of an ATM, injuring seven including one minor. Authorities have not specified who is responsible for the attack.
It was reported earlier Friday that the Ministry of Defense will send 10,000 more police to cities across Colombia, including an elite unit to Cali with the goal of taking down the heads of illegal armed groups such as the FARC, ELN, drug trafficking organizations, and local street gangs. The city has been in a bloody battle since the beginning of this year over drug territory wanted by rival drug gangs, “Los Rastrojos” and “Los Urabeños.”
MORE: Colombian defense minister orders 10,000 more police to cities across the country
Sources
- Atentados dejan tres muertos y 39 heridos en Valle y Cauca
- Farc atacan otra vez a Argelia, Cauca; 32 personas heridas y cuantiosos daños
- Colombia: President Santos says FARC has 7,800 terrorists