The FARC’s 6th Front on Tuesday attacked a police checkpoint in Toribio, a town in the southwest of Colombia that was nearly destroyed on Saturday when guerrillas set off a car bomb that killed six and injured dozens of civilians.
Destruction in Toribio after FARC attack{japopup type=”image” content=”pics/2011/mphoto/toribio1.jpg” title=”FARC violence destroys village of Toribio” } |
According to media reports, FARC guerrillas overtook a section of the village that supposedly was under police and military control.
The hit-and-run attack is a blow against the Colombian security forces who were massively deployed to the north of the Cauca department to curb ongoing guerrilla violence.
On Monday, Armed Forces Commander Admiral Edgar Cely transferred to Cauca to personally direct operations against the left-wing guerrilla group in that department.
Toribio is located in an area close to the Tolima department where the FARC was born and are protected from the armed forces because of the rugged mountain terrain and extreme weather conditions. The towns in the area have been subjected to guerrilla attacks for decades.
Following Saturday’s attack, the mayor of Toribio accused Bogota of not making enough effort to protect the residents of his community.