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The latest news on Colombia . The country has been rocked by two deadly attacks that left multiple victims and deepened the country’s worst security turmoil in years. At least 18 people have been killed and dozens wounded in two separate attacks.

In Cali, a car bomb tore through a busy street near a military aviation school, killing civilians and injuring many more. Hours earlier, a police helicopter was brought down by a drone strike in a rural area outside Medellín, leaving all officers on board dead.

Authorities blame rival dissident factions of the former Farc guerrilla movement, with officials vowing a tough response as martial law was imposed in Cali and new security measures prepared. The escalation raises fresh concerns ahead of next year’s elections.

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New York, NY – September 20, 2022: Gustavo Petro Urrego President of the Republic of Colombia speaks at 77th General Assembly of the United Nations at UN Headquarters // Shutterstock

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 18 people have been killed and dozens more injured in two attacks in Colombia, both attributed to dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), media reports said Friday.

In Cali, the country’s third-largest city, a vehicle packed with explosives detonated on Thursday near a military aviation school, leaving six people dead and 71 others injured, according to the mayor’s office, Al Jazeera reported.

Earlier the same day, a National Police Black Hawk helicopter taking part in a coca leaf eradication operation was downed by a drone in the municipality of Amalfi, Antioquia department, killing 12 police officers.

President Gustavo Petro blamed the assaults on dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC who rejected the 2016 peace agreement that ended decades of internal conflict in which more than 450,000 people were killed.

Petro said on X that the helicopter was transporting personnel to a coca eradication zone in northern Antioquia when it was attacked. Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián confirmed a drone struck the aircraft as it flew over coca fields.

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez added that preliminary reports indicated the strike triggered a fire aboard the police helicopter.

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dpatopbilder – Police clear the rubble of a bomb explosion. Photo: Santiago Saldarriaga/AP/dpa Keystone

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens more injured in two attacks in Colombia. In the north of the South American country, suspected criminals shot down a police helicopter. According to Andrés Julián, governor of the department of Antioquia, twelve police officers were killed. Three police officers were still waiting to be rescued in the rural area, he wrote on Platform X.

Keystone-SDA SDA

A short time later, two explosive devices detonated near an air force base in the large city of Cali in south-western Colombia. According to the air force, six people were killed and more than 50 others were injured, according to the city administration.

Police helicopter attacked by drone

During an anti-drug operation, two helicopters in the department of Antioquia initially dropped off police officers who were supposed to destroy coca fields in the rural region. According to a report in the newspaper “El Tiempo”, however, the police officers were attacked in the process and the helicopters then returned. One helicopter was attacked by a drone and crashed. A splinter group of the left-wing guerrilla organization Farc is believed to be behind the attack.

Following the attack in Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder announced that the military would take control of the city. In addition, the police will step up checks on access to the city. “In this hour in which drug terrorism has returned to our country, we must stand together,” he said in a video address. President Gustavo Petro traveled to Cali to attend a meeting of the Security Council made up of members of the government, security forces and local authorities. He also blamed a Farc splinter group for the attack on the airbase.

Colombia dominates cocaine production

Colombia is the largest cocaine producer in the world. According to the United Nations, the country has around 65 percent of the world’s coca cultivation area with over 250,000 hectares. The extremely lucrative business with the drug is fueling violence in the South American country, which already has a bloody history.

Left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and the military fought a civil war for 52 years. 220,000 people lost their lives and millions were displaced. Although the security situation has improved following the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the then largest rebel group Farc, parts of the country are still controlled by illegal groups.

At least 18 killed and dozens injured in separate Colombia attacks

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens wounded in two separate attacks in Colombia, deepening the country’s most serious security crisis in decades, the BBC reports.

Six people died and more than 60 were injured after a car bomb exploded on a busy street in the western city of Cali in Colombia, according to authorities.

Earlier on Thursday, a separate drone attack against a police helicopter killed at least 12 people in a rural area outside the northwestern city of Medellin.

The attacks, attributed to different dissident factions of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) group, pose fresh challenges to Colombia’s fragile peace processes ahead of elections next year.

A car bomb in the city of Cali killed six people [Getty Images]

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens wounded in two separate attacks in Colombia, deepening the country’s most serious security crisis in decades.

Six people died and more than 60 were injured after a car bomb exploded on a busy street in the western city of Cali in Colombia, according to authorities.

Earlier on Thursday, a separate drone attack against a police helicopter killed at least 12 people in a rural area outside the northwestern city of Medellin.

The attacks, attributed to different dissident factions of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) group, pose fresh challenges to Colombia’s fragile peace processes ahead of elections next year.

Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, ordered martial law for the country’s third most populous city. He also announced a temporary ban on large trucks entering the city and called on the public to report information about the incident for a $10,000 reward.

In the wake of both attacks, the president and the military leadership announced they would lead a security council meeting to “define additional protection measures” for citizens.

“The state will not yield to terrorism. These crimes will be pursued and punished with the full force of the law,” the Ministry of Defence said on social media.

According to eyewitnesses, the car bomb in Cali targeted the Marco Fidel Suarez Military Aviation School, killing civilians in the street and damaging many houses.

“There was a thunderous sound of something exploding near the air base,” an eyewitness told AFP news agency.

Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez called the blast a “terrorist attack” and blamed “the narco cartel alias Mordisco” – referring to Farc guerrilla leader Ivan Mordisco.

“This cowardly attack against civilians is a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño, where the Public Force has neutralized much of this threat,” he said on social media.

Addressing the separate attack on a police helicopter, President Gustavo Petro said the aircraft was on a mission to eradicate coca leaf crops – a main ingredient in cocaine.

The helicopter crashed to the ground after being hit by a drone, killing the 12 officers on board.

Images circulating on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing in a forested area of Amalfi in the country’s north.

Sánchez said the attack was perpetrated by the EMC guerrilla group, the largest offshoot of Farc.

Colombia has experienced a rise in violence in recent months involving clashes between security forces and dissident rebels, paramilitaries or drug gangs.

Drone attacks have also become increasingly common in recent years: in 2024, 115 such attacks were recorded in the country, most of them carried out by illegal armed groups.

Last week, three soldiers were killed in a drone attack in the country’s south-west, where explosive devices were dropped on members of the navy and army who were manning a checkpoint.