At least 18 killed in Colombia in drone attack on helicopter, car bombing

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says equipped dissidents, cause trafficking cartels should beryllium considered ‘terrorists’ and ‘pursued internationally’.

At slightest 18 radical person been killed and dozens injured successful 2 attacks successful Colombia attributed to dissident factions of the erstwhile Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group.

In Cali, the country’s 3rd astir populated city, a conveyance packed with explosives detonated connected Thursday adjacent a subject aviation school, successful an incidental that near six radical dormant and 71 injured, according to the mayor’s office.

Hours earlier, a National Police Black Hawk chopper participating successful a coca leafage harvest eradication cognition was downed by a drone successful the municipality of Amalfi, successful the section of Antioquia, sidesplitting 12 constabulary officers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro blamed the attacks connected dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC group that person rejected a 2016 bid statement to extremity a prolonged interior struggle that has near much than 450,000 dormant successful the country.

Petro said connected X that the onslaught connected the constabulary chopper occurred arsenic the craft was transporting unit to an country successful Antioquia, successful bluish Colombia, to eradicate coca leafage crops, the earthy worldly for cocaine.

Antioquia Governor Andres Julian said connected societal media that a drone attacked the chopper arsenic it flew implicit coca leafage crops.

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said that preliminary accusation indicates the onslaught caused a occurrence successful the constabulary helicopter.

Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, the country’s largest progressive cause cartel, for the chopper attack. He asserted that the craft was targeted successful retaliation for a cocaine seizure that allegedly belonged to the group.

In a aboriginal station connected societal media, Petro shared a photograph of a fishy successful the car weaponry onslaught adjacent the Colombian Aerospace Force successful Cali, saying the idiosyncratic detained by constabulary was a subordinate of the EMC (Estado Mayor Central) – described arsenic a federation of dissidents of the erstwhile FARC radical – and “subordinate” to cause traffickers.

Forensics inspect the tract of a weaponry detonation extracurricular an aerial unit basal successful Cali, Colombia, connected Thursday [Santiago Saldarriaga/AP Photo]

FARC dissidents, who person rejected a bid statement with the government, and members of the Gulf Clan run successful the Antioquia area.

Petro aboriginal announced that helium would petition that the Gulf Clan and the equipped dissidents beryllium “considered terrorists and pursued anyplace connected the planet”.

Coca leafage cultivation is connected the emergence successful Colombia.

The country nether cultivation reached a grounds 253,000 hectares (about 625,000 acres) successful 2023, according to the latest study disposable from the United Nations Office connected Drugs and Crime.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies