Two killed in bomb attack on Colombia police station

Two civilians were killed and seven police and soldiers wounded in a bomb attack on a Colombian police barracks in Orito, in the southern province of Putumayo, last night.

The dead are believed to be the wife and son of a police officer who is a resident at the base. The officer himself is said to be in a serious condition in hospital.

While some media sources have speculated that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP) 48th Front were responsible for the attack, the mayor of Orito said he was not willing to speculate on who was responsible adding that both left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups were active in the area.

FARC launching major offensive in Colombia

 A Police Station in Corinto which was destroyed in a FARC attack last week

FARC guerrilla's are believed to be in the process of launching a major offensive this summer.

According to reports, rebel activity in the south-west of the country is at an all time high. Since January the organisation has been responsible for 1,115 attacks. The attacks have included gun battles, carbombings, sniper attacks, mine attacks rocket attacks.

Security forces have also claimed that the FARC's tactics are changing with "hit and run" attacks being preffered over the more traditional forms of combat generally associated with the organisation. Large FARC armies now appear to operate in smaller units of around 30 fighters.

FARC has also begun to carry out far more undercover operations in cities using activists disguised as civilians and the government seems unable to cope with the situation. Last year more than 2,500 government troops were killed or injured by the rebels.

Observers have also claimed that the targetted assassinations of key FARC leaders are having a counter productive effect as they are replaced by younger, more militant leaders. Thus removing any chance of negotiations.

FARC attack police station in Nariño

 At least one soldier has been killed and other members of the security forces injured after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attacked a police station in Nariño.

The attack occured in the rural area of Rosario. It is reported that the rebels launched an explosive device, thought to be a mortar, at the base. It exploded on impact killing one soldier. The station has been seriously damaged and the local Police Commander has announced that the location of the station will be moved to avoid a repeat attack.

In a separate incident in Cauca, a police station came under fire from rebels using shoulder fired rocket launchers. There were no injuries.

Five police officers and three civilians killed in FARC attacks

Five police officers and three civilians have been killed in separate rebel attacks in Colombia.

In the first attack, which took place at dawn in the north-western town of Sardinata, three police officers were killed and three others injured when rebels fired bombs crafted from gas cylinders at the police station. The subsequent explosions caused the walls to cave in, killing and injuring those inside.

The local police commander said he was confident that the attacks were carried out by the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels.

In a second attack in nearby San Calixto, three civilians were killed when a similar bomb was fire at a police station. It missed striking a nearby residential area. It is also beleived that one of those killed was a child.

Two police officers were also killed in a gun battle with rebels on the border with Ecuador while five soldiers suffered injuries after their convoy was blasted with explosive devices.

Colombia has been a in a state of war between government forces and leftist-guerrilas since 1964.

FARC shoot down police helicopter

 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.

FARC rebels free prisoners as gesture of good faith

 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Army of the People (FARC - EP) rebels have freed six prisoners of war as a gesture of good faith. The prisoners were freed in separate handovers since February 9th.

Those released included soldiers, policemen and public figures, some of whom had been held for over 10 years. The Brazilian government acted as an intermediary and said that the releases indicated FARC's willingness to take part in dialogue with the Colombian government so as to negotiate a peaceful political settlement to the 47 year-old conflict. This was rejected by the government who said that they would not consider talking to the guerrilla's until they released the remaining 16 hostages they still hold (mainly soldiers and police), renounce violence and declare a ceasefire.

One of the freed hostages, politician Armando Acuna, has called for dialogue between the government and the rebels: "Humanitarian exchange is the first step toward a friendly understanding, which permits the return of our brothers deprived of their liberty." he said


However Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos dismissed the releases as a media exercise to garner sympathy for the rebels. He also said that on the same night that the two police officers were released, rebels had kidnapped two workers from the south of the country.

Bomb blast hits Colombian restaurant

A bomb has exploded in a restaurant in the Colombian town of Roncesvalles in the west of the country.

The restaurant is located close to FARC held territory and comes just hours after the Colombian government carried out airstrikes on rebel positions. At least two people were killed and 12 injured in the bomb attack. Reuters news agency has confirmed that the restaurant is popular with local police and is located directly opposite a police station and said most of those injured were security service employees.

Earlier in the day, Colombian government officials claimed that they may have kiled a senior FARC commander in the south of the country following an airstrike on rebel positions. The government claimed that around four rebels were believed to have be killed and that a senior field commander in the rebels southern command may be among them. FARC has not confirmed it has suffered any casualties.

Government claims to have killed 13 FARC rebels

 A female FARC guerrilla

The Colombian government has claimed that it has killed 13 members of the FARC rebel group in a bombing raid near the city of Ipiales.

The government claimed that the strike targeted a rebel base and was very important and decisive. The FARC unit which operates in the area is known as Fighting Unit 48 and is well known for it's ruthless attacks on government forces.

FARC have not confirmed that any of their soldiers have been killed.

Seven Colombian officers suspended over rape and murder of children

Seven Colombian military officers have been suspended following the murder of three children in a border town last month.

The children, two boys aged six and nine, and a girl, aged 14, were stabbed to death in the town of Tame in Arauca province on the 14th of October. Their bodies were buried in a shallow grave.

One of the soldiers involved, Second Lieutenant Raul Munoz has admitted to raping 14 year old Yenni Torres but denies killing her.  He also confessed to raping a 13 year old girl near the same town on October 2nd.

The children's father had returned from work in the fields on October 14th to find them missing. He and other villagers found their shallow graves later in the day.

The town of Tame is often the scene of clashes between the military and FARC rebels. Four soldiers and three civilians were wounded in a FARC bomb attack in mid-October.

So far, over sixty soldiers are under investigation regarding the incident.

Bombs target Colombian transport networks

 A bomb has been defused at an airport in north-eastern Colombia, security forces say.

The bomb, which consisted of a gas cylinder packed with explosives, was left near the landing area of the airport. The Colombian authorities have claimed that the device was planted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist rebel group.

Meanwhile in Neiva city, another suspected FARC bomb was defused. This time the device targeted a train station.