Car bomb and helicopter attack in Colombia kill at least 13 people, including police officers

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A car bomb and a separate attack on a police helicopter in Colombia killed at least 13 people on Thursday, according to authorities. President Gustavo Petro attributed both incidents to dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC.

Petro said on X that eight police officers died in the helicopter attack and noted that the aircraft was transporting personnel to an area in Antioquia, in northern Colombia, to eradicate coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine.

Antioquia Gov. Andrés Julián said on the same social media platform that a drone attacked the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf crops. Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said that preliminary information indicates the attack caused a fire in the aircraft.

Authorities did not immediately provide details of the conditions of the eight people who were injured in the helicopter attack.

Meanwhile, authorities in the southwest city of Cali reported that a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated near a military aviation school, killing 5 people and injuring more than 30. The Colombian Aerospace Force did not immediately provide additional details of the explosion.

Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, the country’s largest active drug cartel, for the helicopter attack. He asserted that the aircraft was targeted in retaliation for a cocaine seizure that allegedly belonged to the group.

FARC dissidents, who rejected a peace agreement with the government in 2016, and members of the Gulf Clan operate in Antioquia.

Coca leaf cultivation is on the rise in Colombia. The area under cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report available from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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