Car bomb attack outside police station kills one, injures 11 in Colombia
13 oC
13 oC
Güneşli
13 oC
Güneşli
A car bomb exploded outside a police station in the Colombian municipality of Los Patios, near the Venezuelan border, killing one civilian and injuring 11 people, including police officers, authorities said.
The blast occurred around midnight on Tuesday in Los Patios, part of the metropolitan area of Cucuta in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander, a region that has long experienced violence linked to armed groups, drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling.
President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack and pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice.
"Colombia will not bow to terrorism," the president said in a post on X.
Violence persists in border region
The attack came less than a month after another bombing targeted a police station in nearby Cucuta, injuring 11 police officers and killing a police dog. Authorities blamed that attack on the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's largest remaining leftist guerrilla group, although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest bombing.
Los Patios and the surrounding Cucuta region have frequently witnessed clashes involving armed groups seeking control of drug trafficking routes and smuggling corridors along the Venezuelan border.
Security challenges continue
Although Colombia's 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) significantly reduced violence in many parts of the country, several dissident factions, the ELN and other armed groups continue to operate in strategic regions, fueling insecurity and organized crime.
President de la Espriella, who took office in August, has made combating organized crime and restoring security central priorities of his administration. His government has also suspended some peace negotiations with armed groups while expanding security operations in conflict-affected regions.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the bombing, and security forces remain deployed across the area as efforts continue to identify those responsible(ILKHA)
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