4 police officers killed, 16 injured in Colombian rebel attack

4 police officers killed, 16 injured in Colombian rebel attack

2011-06-08 00:55:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

BOGOTA (BNO NEWS) -- Four police officers were killed and 16 others were injured in an attack reportedly carried out by the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), authorities said on Tuesday.

The rebels attacked a police station in the village of El Mango in the department of Cauca when officers were having dinner. According to Radio Santa Fe, they threw gas cylinder bombs and grenades, destroying the station.

The governor of Cauca, Guillermo Alberto González, said it is possible that the number of deaths and injuries could increase. He added that military reinforcements took longer than expected to get to the site due to bad weather


The Semana newspaper reported that González said the attack took place in an area the rebel group, along with gangs and drug traffickers, is trying to control for the traffic of drugs.

According to the Ministry of Defense, 167 members of the security forces were killed from January to May, including 108 soldiers and 59 policemen.

FARC is considered a terrorist organization by 34 states including the U.S., Canada and the European Union. The rebel group is present in 24 of the 32 departments of the South American country.

Last December, FARC informed that it has an approximate 18,000 members, half of which are part of its armed forces and the other half are involved in intelligence activities.

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