BOGOTA (Reuters) – Seven police officers were killed in an attack in western Colombia on Friday, the Colombian government said, making it the deadliest attack on law enforcement since the election of President Gustavo Petro.
Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter who campaigned on promises of profound economic and social change, won the presidential election last June.
“I strongly condemn the bombing that killed eight policemen in San Luis, (in the department of) Huila,” wrote the Colombian president on his Twitter account, citing a previous assessment. “These acts are clearly aimed at sabotaging total peace.”
Authorities and the prosecutor’s office announced late Friday night that seven police officers had been killed and another injured in the attack.
The vehicle carrying the security forces was hit by explosives, authorities said in a statement.
(Report Julia Symmes Cobb; French version Camille Raynaud)