Police officer killed in Casanare as wave of attacks escalates across Colombia
A patrolman was shot and killed in Hato Corozal, Casanare. The incident adds to a grenade attack in Cali, a kidnapping in La Guajira and drone attacks in Cauca.
Police officer killed in Casanare as multiple attacks strike the country in a single day
Patrolman Juan Sebastián Quintero Caldas, 37, was killed on Wednesday night whilst carrying out checkpoint and control duties on a public road in the municipality of Hato Corozal, Casanare department, according to a report by elcolombiano.com.
Preliminary information indicates that Quintero Caldas and a fellow officer were patrolling on a motorcycle when they came under gunfire. The officer died at the scene; his colleague was taken to a medical centre and at the time of press was in a reserved condition.
President Abelardo de la Espriella responded via his X account: "I have ordered the deployment of all operational, intelligence and criminal investigation capacities to identify, pursue and capture those responsible as soon as possible (...). Every attack against the public force will receive a forceful response from the state".
Grenade attack at RCN headquarters in Cali
At 3:00 a.m. on the same day, two individuals on a motorcycle threw a fragmentation grenade at the external fence of the RCN headquarters in Cali before fleeing. There were no casualties.
The incident comes days after the Caracol television channel building in Bogotá had to be evacuated due to a terrorist attack alert, against a backdrop of growing threats against media outlets.
ELN kidnaps first lady of Uribia
At 6:00 a.m. on the same Wednesday, alleged members of the ELN intercepted Nancy Gómez Sánchez, first lady of the Guajira municipality of Uribia, near a gymnasium. According to witnesses, she was threatened at gunpoint and forced into a vehicle. Authorities offered a reward of 300 million pesos for information leading to her location.
Explosive drones attack toll booth in Cauca
In the morning hours, the Cachimbal toll booth in the Mondomo township, municipality of Santander de Quilichao (Cauca), was attacked with explosives launched from drones. The attack was attributed to the Jaime Martínez front of the Central General Staff of the Farc.
The attack caused no casualties but forced the temporary closure of the Panamerican Highway, interrupting traffic between Popayán and Cali.
Harassment of police substation with drones and rifles
In the municipality of El Tambo, also in Cauca, armed groups harassed the police substation at El Crucero de Pandiguando using drones laden with makeshift explosives and machine-gun fire. According to the official report, no injuries were recorded in that attack.
Source: Google News CO — Crime