Rebels ambushed a police convoy near the Colombian capital Tuesday, killing at least eight officers and injuring five in a pre-dawn attack.
Around 25 police officers were traveling on two trucks and a motorcycle on a highway out of Quipile, a town some 35 miles west of Bogota, when they drove over explosives set up by the suspected rebels, Police Captain Eric del Toro said.
Following the blast, gunmen started shooting at the police officers, who had been returning to the capital after beefing up security in Quipile during a festival.
More police and soldiers were sent to the rural area outside the town Tuesday as authorities rescued the wounded and retrieved bodies, del Toro added, according to AP.
For his part, President Alvaro Uribe condemned the attack, saying it caused "more and more pain" for the Colombian people.
"We must continue on the road to defeat the violent ones, as that is the only option this nation has to move ahead," he told reporters.
Police blamed members of Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), for the attack. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
