Attack on Colombian helicopter on mission to eradicate coca leaf crops leaves 8 officers killed

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — An attack on a Colombian police helicopter killed at least eight police officers on Thursday, according to President Gustavo Petro, who attributed it to dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC.

Petro said on X that the helicopter was transporting personnel to an area in Antioquia, in northern Colombia, to eradicate coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine.

Antioquia Gov. Andrés Julián said on the same social media platform that a drone attacked the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf crops. Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said that preliminary information indicates the attack caused a fire in the aircraft.

Authorities did not immediately provide details of the conditions of the eight people who were injured in the attack.

Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, the country's largest active drug cartel, for the attack. He asserted that the helicopter was targeted in retaliation for a cocaine seizure that allegedly belonged to the group.

FARC dissidents, who rejected a peace agreement with the government in 2016, and members of the Gulf Clan operate in Antioquia.

Coca leaf cultivation is on the rise in Colombia. The area under cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report available from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Also on Thursday, authorities in the southwest city of Cali reported that a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated near a military aviation school, killing 5 people and injuring more than 30 others. The Colombian Aerospace Force did not immediately provide details of the explosion, which Petro also attributed to FARC dissidents.

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