Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserts that armed dissidents and drug trafficking cartels should be regarded as ‘terrorists’ and subjected to international pursuit.
According to reports, at least 18 individuals have lost their lives, and numerous others have been injured in two separate attacks in Colombia, which have been attributed to dissident factions of the previous Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group.
In Cali, the country’s third most populous city, a car bomb explosion occurred near a military aviation school on Thursday, resulting in six fatalities and 71 injuries, as confirmed by the mayor’s office.
Earlier that day, a National Police Black Hawk helicopter engaged in a coca leaf crop eradication operation was brought down by a drone in the municipality of Amalfi, located in the department of Antioquia, resulting in the deaths of 12 police officers.
President Petro attributes the attacks to dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC group, which refused to adhere to a 2016 peace agreement aimed at ending a prolonged internal conflict that has claimed over 450,000 lives in Colombia.
Initially, Petro suspected the Gulf Clan, the nation’s largest active drug cartel, to be responsible for the helicopter attack, as it was allegedly a response to the seizure of cocaine belonging to the group. The president later shared a photograph of a suspect involved in the car bomb attack near the Colombian Aerospace Force in Cali, stating that the detained individual was affiliated with the EMC (Estado Mayor Central) and “subordinate” to drug traffickers.
The region of Antioquia serves as a stronghold for both FARC dissidents, who have rejected the peace agreement with the government, and the Gulf Clan.
In response, President Petro announced his intention to classify the Gulf Clan and the armed dissidents as terrorists and actively pursue them worldwide.
Furthermore, the cultivation of coca leaves has been on the rise in Colombia, with a record 253,000 hectares (approximately 625,000 acres) dedicated to cultivation in 2023, as per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/22/at-least-18-killed-in-colombia-in-drone-attack-on-helicopter-car-bombing?traffic_source=rss
