An attack on Monday attributed to Colombia’s largest rebel group, FARC, left one policeman and one civilian dead and at least13 more wounded in the southwestern Putumayo department.
FARC guerrillas allegedly threw six bars of explosives into a restaurant in the town of San Miguel, where the majority of the city’s police force was having lunch. El Tiempo reported that the blast left one policeman and one civilian dead. Thirteen to 14 more people were injured according to local media reports.
The perpetrators were said to have fled the scene on a motorcycle.
“Once again the FARC, through the 48th Front, throws [explosives] at a patrol of three policemen who were in the restaurant, without caring about the [civilians] who were there,” said a local police commander according to radio station Caracol.
Authorities offered a reward of up to $230,000 for information leading to the capture of the suspects.
This is the third suspected FARC attack on police in the southwestern Putamayo department this month. On February 16, alleged FARC rebels destroyed a police station in the town of Puerto Asis. No one was killed in this attack.
According to Red Cross representative Peter Maurer who visited the region in early February, the Putumayo department is living through a “grave humanitarian crisis” due to the ongoing armed conflict.
Sources
- Un policia y un civil muertos dejo ataque de las Farc en Putumayo (El Tiempo)
- Un muerto y catorce heridos dejó ataque de las Farc en Putumayo (W Radio)
- Atentado de las Farc en San Miguel Putumayo deja un muerto y diez personas heridas (Radio Santa Fe)
