Ongoing combat between the Colombian army and FARC guerrillas in the south-western department of Cauca left at least one policemen and two guerrillas dead. Six soldiers are reportedly injured.
The fighting took place near the towns of Santander de Quilichao and Argelia, both located in an area where the FARC this year has carried out nearly 30 attacks on public forces and towns.
The Cauca department is one of the worst hit by violence as the territory is of great importance for the transport of illicit drugs to the Pacific coast and is contested by the FARC, several neo-paramilitary groups and the powerful Los Rastrojos, a group formed from the ashes of the Norte del Valle cartel.