Three more Colombian soldiers were killed in what are believed to be the second and third attacks launched by the FARC in less than 24 hours.
One soldier was killed and another six injured during an ambush on an army patrol in the Ricaurte municipality in Colombia’s southern Nariño department Thursday. Authorities believe the attack may have been carried out by the FARC’s Daniel Aldana column, which is active in the area.
Two soldiers were killed in Salazar de Las Palmas, in the eastern Norte de Santander department, earlier Thursday morning, in combat with members of the FARC’s 33rd Front. It is believed that they were attacked while undertaking surveillance in the area. One soldier is missing after the confrontation.
Five policemen were killed and three injured by a suspected FARC bomb in the southern Colombian department of Caqueta on Wednesday. This was the first publicized deadly attack on security forces since the inauguration of President Juan Manuel Santos on August 7.
According to Defense Ministry data, 121 members of the Colombian armed forces died in incidents involving weapons between January 1 and August 31 of this year, a similar figure to the same period in 2009.
