At least 4 dead as bombings, gun attacks hit Southwest Colombia

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions and gun attacks that left at least four people dead Tuesday, police said, in what appeared to be a coordinated wave of attacks designed to sow terror.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but guerrillas who broke away from the once-powerful FARC rebel army are known to operate in that part of Colombia.
The attacks hit Cali -- the country's third largest city -- and several nearby towns, targeting police stations and other municipal buildings.
The National Police chief, Carlos Fernando Triana, told La FM radio that assailants had attacked targets with car bombs, motorcycle bombs, rifle fire and a suspected drone.
"There are two police officers dead, and a number of members of the public are also dead," he said.
Police later said at least two civilians were among those killed, and 12 others were injured.
In the town of Corinto, an AFP journalist witnessed the tangled wreckage of a car that had exploded, and a scorched and badly damaged municipal building.
Corinto resident Luz Amparo was at home when the blast also gutted her bakery.
"We thought it was an earthquake" she told AFP. "My husband said 'no, they are shooting.'"
Her phone began to ring of the hook, and she went to her check on her store. As she rounded the corner the neighbors began to look in her direction.
"Everything was levelled," she said.
Triana suggested the attacks may be linked to the third anniversary of the killing of FARC dissident leader Leider Johani Noscue, better known as "Mayimbu."
The bombings came days after the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in Bogota, a brazen attack that already had the country on edge.
Conservative senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by a 15-year-old alleged hitman while campaigning Saturday.
That attack has stunned Colombians and prompted speculation about who was responsible.
Thousands have taken to the streets in major cities to light candles, pray and voice their anger at the assassination attempt.
Many Colombians are fearful of a return to the violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when cartel attacks, guerrilla violence and political assassinations were commonplace.