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Six soldiers killed after entering mine field
Six Colombian soldiers were killed Tuesday after they walked into a mine field while pursuing a column of leftist guerrillas, the army said.
Six Colombian soldiers were killed Tuesday after they walked into a mine field while pursuing a column of leftist guerrillas, the army said.
Another five soldiers were injured in the explosions, which took place in a region 145 miles (245 kilometers) south of Bogota that is being fought over by rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and security forces, the army said in a statement.
The army said the soldiers were traveling on foot in pursuit of a column of rebels and blamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for planting the land mines.
An army spokesman Sgt Luis Enrique Hernandez said the army was still waiting for more details on the attack, but confirmed that combat was continuing in the zone.
Colombia has one of the highest rates of injuries and deaths from land mines in the world.
Colombia's four-decade civil conflict pits the military against leftist rebels and far-right militias.
