Colombia lifts bombing truce with FARC following deadly rebel ambush

Xinhua

text

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday lifted the suspension of airstrikes on leftist guerrilla strongholds, after the members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) allegedly ambushed and killed 11 government troops.

Colombia's leading Caracol News network reported the president "lifted the order to suspend the bombing raids by the armed forces against FARC camps."

The government declared a temporary halt to airstrikes in March. The renewed tension came after the rebel group reportedly attacked a military patrol in southwest Cauca department late Tuesday. "The FARC deliberately broke their promise of a unilateral ceasefire," Santos posted via Twitter. "We reject and condemn this vile deed against our soldiers."

Santos traveled to the sites in Cali, Cauca, to hold an emergency meeting with the Minister of Defense Juan Carlos Pinzon, army commanders, local officials.

The commander of the army's third division, Mario Valencia, was expected to present a detailed briefing of the incident and evaluate whether it was safe for Santos to travel to Buenos Aires, the town where the soldiers were ambushed amid a downpour.

According to the army, the soldiers were patrolling the area when they came under attack of grenades and gunfire by the FARC members. Ten soldiers were initially reported killed, with nine others injured, but the death toll was later updated to 11.

The FARC announced a unilateral ceasefire in November, saying it wanted to show goodwill as peace talks continues with the government to end five decades of fighting. The government originally refused to do the same, claiming a let-up in fighting would take the pressure off the rebels to negotiate.