7 Dead and 28 Injured in Series of Bombings Across Colombia, 3 Days After Attempted Assassination of Presidential Candidate

NEED TO KNOW

• Several bombings and firearm attacks took place in south-western Colombia, resulting in the deaths of five civilians and two police officers on June 10, the Colombian Police Department announced in a release

• At least 28 people were also injured in the attacks

• The attacks were reportedly carried out by illegal armed groups using four vehicles filled with explosives
  

At least seven people have died and 28 people have been injured in a series of bombings and firearm attacks near police stations in Colombia.

On Tuesday, June 10, numerous bomb attacks took place in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, killing five civilians and two police officers and injuring 28 others, the Colombian Police Department announced in a news release posted on X.

“Today, 24 terrorist attacks have occurred, concentrated in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, resulting in five civilian deaths and two police officers killed: Police Patrolman Jair Gonzalo Gurrete Bolaños in Caloto and Patrolman Duván Andrés Ramírez Cárdenas in Villa Rica, Cauca,” police said in the release, translated from Spanish.

The police confirmed that 28 people were injured in the attacks, including 19 civilians, seven police officers, and two military personnel. Captain Juan Carlos Amaya Méndez was also confirmed to have been killed in similar attacks in Sonsón, Antioquia.

According to the police, the attacks were carried out by illegal armed groups using four vehicles equipped with explosives, including three motorcycle bombs, ten explosive device launches, and four firearm attacks.

Local media have linked some of the attacks to a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a once-powerful guerrilla group, per BBC and NBC News. FARC-EMC is a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016.

In Valle del Cauca, 13 incidents occurred in the municipalities of Jamundi, Palmira, Buenaventura, and Cali. In Cauca, 10 terrorist acts were reported in the municipalities of Patía, Suarez, Toribio, Villa Rica, Timbiquí, Morales, Corinto, Caloto, and Buenos Aires, according to police.

Photos obtained by NBC News show a police station completely burnt to the ground following a bomb attack and a burned-out bus as armed military personnel roam the area.

The National Police and National Army are “deploying joint operations to counter illegal activities in the area, especially against the Jaime Martínez organization operating in this region of the country,” police noted.

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The Ministry of Defense of Colombia said in a statement translated from Spanish posted on Instagram Stories, “In light of the violent events reported today in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, the National Government is strengthening coordination with local authorities to prevent further terrorist acts and locate those responsible.”

“The National Government, committed to the safety and peace of all Colombians, is coordinating with the authorities of Cauca and Valle del Cauca to prevent terrorist acts and capture those responsible for the events that occurred today in these departments.”

The Ministry of Defense of Colombia is offering a reward of up to 300 million pesos for information that could help capture those responsible for the attacks, according to police.

The attacks come just three days after an assassination attempt on Presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay. The senator was shot multiple times during an event with supporters at a public park on June 7 with the politician's wife confirming that her husband was "fighting" for his life on X. A 15-year-old, who was carrying a Glock-style pistol, has since been arrested, according to CNN and the BBC, both of which cited the local attorney general's office.

The government in Colombia has struggled to contain violence as rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal with the government. Peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government broke down last year after a series of attacks on indigenous communities, per NBC.

The Ministry of Defense of Colombia and the Colombian Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for an update.

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