At least 18 killed and dozens injured

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

According to the authorities, six people died and more than 60 injured after a car exploded in a lively street in the western city of Cali in Colombia, according to the authorities.

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

The attacks, attributed to various dissident factions of the now disappeared revolutionary armed group in Colombia (FARC), pose new challenges to the fragile peace processes in Colombia before the elections of next year.

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

Following the two attacks, the president and military leaders announced that they would run a meeting of the Security Council to “define additional protective measures” for citizens.

“The state will not give in to terrorism. These crimes will be prosecuted and punished with all the strength of the law,” said the Ministry of Defense on social networks.

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

“There was a thunderous sound of something that explodes near the air base,” said an eyewitness to the AFP news agency.

The Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, calves the explosion a “terrorist attack” and blamed “the alias bite of the Narco cartel” – referring to the leader of the Farc guerrillas, Ivan Bite.

“This loose attack on civilians is a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle Del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, where the public force neutralized a large part of this threat,” he said on social networks.

Addressing the separate attack on a police helicopter, President Gustavo Petro said that the plane was on a mission to eradicate coca leaves – a main cocaine ingredient.

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

The images circulating on social networks have shown thick plume of black smoke swinging in a wooded area of ​​Amalfi in the north of the country.

Sánchez said the attack had been perpetrated by the guerrilla group EMC, the largest FARC branch.

Colombia has increased 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 have been recorded in the country, most of which were carried out by illegal armed groups.

Last week, three soldiers were killed in a drone attack in the southwest of the country, where explosive devices were abandoned on members of the navy and the army who kept a checkpoint.