FARC guerrilla's have been blamed for shooting down a police helicopter in southern Colombia.
Four police officers and a civilian worker were killed when the helicopter, which was delivering money to a bank in the city of Caloto, was fired on. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing on a nearby football pitch where rebel gunman were waiting. All five aboard were subsequently killed in a fierce exchange of fire while a female passerby died after being hit by a stray bullet. The rebels then made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
According to Colombian News reports, two of the dead included the Commander and Sub-Commander of the city's police force. Regional Police Chief Orlando Pineda has called for more military backup in the area which has seen attacks by FARC guerrilla's increase dramatically over the last month. The Chief went on to blame FARC's 6th Front, which is attached to it's Western Bloc for the attack. The 6th Front is believed to be made up of around 130 fighters. Another FARC mobile-column made up of 50 fighters also operates in the area.
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