Two separate attacks in Colombia killed at least 18 people and injured dozens, causing the country’s most serious security crisis in decades.
According to officials, six people were killed and more than 60 injured after a car bombings occurred on a busy road in Callie, a western city in Columbia.
Earlier on Thursday, a separate drone attack against a police helicopter killed at least 12 people in a rural area outside the North -Western city of Medeline.
Colombia Group’s now responsible attacks for various disgruntled groups of defective revolutionary armed forces faced fresh challenges for Colombia’s delicate peace processes before the next year.
Calli’s Mayor Emlejandro Ader ordered martial law for the third most populous city in the country. He also announced a temporary ban on large trucks entering the city and called the public to report information about the incident for a reward of $ 10,000.
In view of both attacks, the President and the military leadership announced that they would lead a security council meeting to “define additional security measures” for citizens.
The Ministry of Defense said on social media, “The state will not yield for terrorism. These crimes will be chased and punished with full force of the law.”
According to eyewitnesses, the car bomb in Cali targeted the Marco Fidel Surez Military Aviation School, causing the citizens to hit the road and damage many houses.
An eyewitness told the AFP news agency, “The airport had a thunderous sound of some explosion.”
Defense Minister Pedro Sanches called the blast a “terrorist attack” and convicted “Narco Cartel aka Mordisco” – referring to FARC guerrilla leader Ivan Mordisco.
He said, “This cowardly attack against citizens is a desperate response to the loss of drug traffic control in Valle del Kaka, Kaka and Narino, where the public force has greatly neutralized the threat,” he said on social media.
Addressing a separate attack on a police helicopter, President Gustavo Petro said that the aircraft Coca Leaf was on a mission to erase crops – a main component in cocaine.
The helicopter crashed on the ground after being hit by a drone, killing 12 officers.
Images on social media showed a thick plum of black smoke in the forest area of Amalfi in the north of the country.
Sánchez said the attack was carried out by the EMC Guerrilla Group, the biggest offshoot of FARC.
Colombia has experienced an increase in violence in recent months which includes a clash between security forces and disgruntled rebels, paramilitary or drug gangs.
Drone attacks in recent years are also growing rapidly: In 2024, 115 such attacks were recorded in the country, most of them were carried out by illegal armed groups.
Last week, three soldiers were killed in a drone attack in the south-west of the country, where explosive equipment was dropped on Navy and army members who were working on a checkpoint.
