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Three civilians died in crossfire between the Colombian army and the FARC after they were used as human shields by the guerrillas, the army said on Thursday.
The fighting that cost the lives of the civilians took place near San Jose del Guaviare, capital of the south eastern Guaviare department.
According to an army press release, soldiers were fired upon by FARC rebels and shot back.
When soldiers inspected the site from where they had been shot at, they found one injured and two dead civilians. Medics of the battalion tried to save the victims, but failed.
The army said it regretted the incident and stressed that the FARC had intentionally used the civilians as human shields, violating international humanitarian law.
