A police helicopter ambushed in Antioquia and a car bomb in Cali leave at least 17 dead and dozens wounded, as President Petro blames the Gulf Clan drug cartel.
Colombia was shaken Friday by two devastating attacks that left at least 17 people dead and more than 30 injured, in what officials say is a violent escalation by the country’s most notorious drug cartel.
The bloodshed began in the Antioquia region, where a police helicopter carrying security forces on an anti-narcotics mission was attacked midair, killing 12 police officers and injuring seven others. Authorities said the aircraft, deployed to protect coca leaf eradication operations, was struck by a drone attack while flying over coca fields. The impact triggered a fire, sending the helicopter down in flames.
Hours later, violence erupted again in Cali, when a car bomb exploded outside the Colombian Air Force Aviation School, killing five people and wounding over 30.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the attacks, placing direct blame on the Gulf Clan cartel, Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking network. He said the helicopter strike was revenge for a recent raid that seized a major cocaine shipment tied to the cartel. One suspected cartel member has already been arrested near the site.
“These acts of terror will not go unpunished,” Petro declared, vowing to intensify the government’s fight against narco-violence.
The twin assaults underscore the explosive nexus of drug trafficking and armed conflict still gripping Colombia — even decades after the fall of its infamous cartels.
