BOGOTÁ – A police helicopter in Antioquia, Colombia, was attacked on Thursday, killing 12 cops and hurting three more. The incident, which was filmed and shared on social media, shows a drone hitting the chopper, which then crashed to the ground in a huge explosion.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro first blamed the Gulf Clan, the largest drug gang in the country, for the attack, saying it was probably in response to a recent cocaine capture. He later said that the attack was done by those who disagreed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a guerrilla organization that stopped fighting in 2016 after signing a peace deal with the government. In the Antioquia region, which is important for growing coca leaves, there are both FARC dissidents who refuse to put down their weapons and members of the Gulf Clan.
President Petro said that the aircraft was taking police officers to destroy coca leaf fields, which are the basic material for making cocaine. The chopper was flying over the coca plantations when the incident happened. Pedro Sánchez, Colombia’s defense minister, said that the initial investigation shows that the drone strike started a fire in the plane, which caused it to crash.
A vehicle bomb went off at a military aviation school in the southwestern city of Cali just hours after the helicopter attack. Five persons died and more than 30 others were hurt. The Colombian Air Force called the event a “terrorist attack.” President Petro also blamed FARC dissidents for this attack, portraying a dark picture of a coordinated and growing campaign of terror.
The recent rise in attacks has made people wonder how well President Petro’s “total peace” approach, which tries to negotiate with armed groups, is working. The rise in violence goes along with a record rise in coca planting. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said that coca cultivation reached 253,000 hectares in 2023. The latest attacks and rise in production imply that these groups are getting stronger and are challenging the government’s rule.