BOGOTÁ: Six Colombian police officers were killed and seven injured Thursday in clashes with the country’s biggest drug cartel, which used a drone to down a police helicopter, the security forces said.
The attack took place as the police were eradicating coca crops — coca leaves are the main ingredient in cocaine — in northwestern Antioquia department, home to the city of Medellin.
Images shared on social media showed the helicopter caught in crossfire before being hit by the drone and crashing to the ground in a cloud of black smoke.
It was not clear whether the dead officers were killed in the crash or on the ground.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed the attack on the Gulf Clan, which has been accused of killing dozens of security force members since the collapse of peace talks with the state in early 2023.
“During an operation against drug trafficking, our @PoliciaColombia was attacked by the Gulf Clan cartel, causing a helicopter to catch fire and critical injuries to our police officers,“ he wrote on X.
President Gustavo Petro claimed the attack was in revenge for the security forces seizing a ton and a half of cocaine from the Gulf Cartel in the remote Uraba region.
Colombia is enduring its worst outburst of violence since the leftist FARC guerrilla army, one of the world’s oldest rebel movements, signed a peace deal with the government in 2016.
The left-wing Petro came to office in 2022 on a promise to pursue “total peace” in Colombia by engaging in dialogue with all remaining armed groups.
But during that time, several groups, including the Gulf Clan, have grown stronger.
Earlier this month, Petro announced the resumption of peace talks with the Gulf Clan.
The group, which was born out of the right-wing paramilitary groups that fought leftist guerrillas in the 1990s, engages in illegal gold mining, racketeering and migrant smuggling as well as drug trafficking.
The government estimates it has around 7,500 members.
The Gulf Clan itself claims over 13,000 members. – AFP