Marxist rebels ambushed a Colombian military convoy yesterday and killed 17 soldiers.
The troops were travelling in Arauca, an oil-rich state in northeastern Colombia used by the guerrillas to smuggle drugs and arms across the border in Venezuela, when they came under attack with explosives and gunfire, said Colombia's army chief.
Colombia's army chief
He blamed the attack on guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has been battling to topple the government here for 40 years.
"Some of the wounded were later shot in the head to finish them off," he told local radio.
In the past three months, the FARC has carried out some of its boldest attacks on the military in two years, killing around 70 soldiers. On March 23rd, 12 soldiers were killed when their convoy was blown up in one of Colombia's biggest cocaine-producing regions.
The FARC attacks has led many observers to question President Alvaro Uribe's claims that the rebels have gotten weaker since he ordered a costly, US-backed military buildup upon coming to office more than two years ago.
AP