Bloody day in Colombia: drone attack and car explosion claim 18 lives

Colombia has experienced a series of its bloodiest attacks in recent years: at least 18 people have died and dozens more have been injured after two attacks that authorities attribute to dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

This is reported by Aljazeera, writes UNN.

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro has declared war on drug cartels and FARC dissidents, calling for their international recognition as terrorists.

In the city of Cali, a car bomb exploded near a military aviation school. According to official data, six people died and 71 more were injured. Several hours earlier, in the department of Antioquia, a drone attacked a police Black Hawk helicopter that was on its way to an operation to destroy coca crops. As a result of the crash, 12 law enforcement officers died.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated that the attacks were carried out by armed groups that rejected the 2016 peace agreement and are now cooperating with drug cartels. In his address, he called them "terrorists," emphasizing that he would demand international recognition of these groups as a global threat.

The country's Minister of Defense confirmed that the helicopter explosion caused a massive fire, while a suspect arrested in the Cali attack turned out to be a member of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) – a federation of FARC dissidents operating under the control of drug traffickers.

The attacks occurred amid a surge in drug production. According to the UN, in 2023, the area of coca cultivation in Colombia reached a historical high of 253,000 hectares.

President Petro promised to intensify the fight against drug cartels and their accomplices:

From now on, they will be pursued anywhere in the world. Colombia will not allow terror to conquer the country again

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