A car bomb exploded in the Colombian port town of Buenaventura on
Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens more in an
attack authorities blamed on FARC guerrillas or cocaine traffickers.
The blast destroyed part of the local office of the attorney general in
Buenaventura, the country's largest port which handles half the
country's coffee exports but is also a major drug trafficking route to the Pacific coast.
Local television images from the city showed wrecked taxis and destroyed
store fronts as residents carried wounded people to hospitals minutes
after the blast, the worst attack this year in the Andean country.
Colombia's long war
has ebbed since President
Alvaro Uribe came to power in 2002 and sent troops to take on
rebels and drug barons. But guerrillas are still fighting in rural areas
and the country remains the world's top cocaine exporter.
"We cannot let our guard down," Uribe said after the bombing, without
blaming any armed group. "We had recovered a lot in Buenaventura, this
act shows we cannot allow ourselves to be too confident."
Nine people were killed and another 50 wounded in the blast, the
National Police said.
KEY COCAINE ROUTE
Armed Forces commander
General Freddy Padilla said guerrillas from the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, were suspected in the bombing. But the country's
attorney general said the attack could have been carried out by drug traffickers in
retaliation for investigations.
FARC rebels are still a threat in rural areas where they use ambushes,
hit-and-run attacks and homemade landmines to harry army and police
patrols. The rebel group is deeply engaged in drug trafficking and
extortion.
The coast near Buenaventura
is a key cocaine smuggling point and rebels and rival paramilitary
militias have often bombed and attacked army and police patrols in the
city.
Uribe is popular for his U.S.-backed security drive and he steps down
this year after two terms in office. Colombians go to the polls in May
to vote for a new president and most candidates are promising to
maintain his security
policies.
A poll on Wednesday showed his former defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, was
leading the race for the presidency. Santos was credited with organizing
important strikes against FARC rebel commanders during his time as
minister.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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