7 Colombia Police Killed in Deadliest Attack Since Leftist Took Office

7 Colombia Police Killed in Deadliest Attack Since Leftist Took Office
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a security council after an attack where several police officers died, at the Metropolitan Police building in Neiva, Colombia, on Sept. 2, 2022. Cesar Carrion/Colombian Presidency/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

BOGOTA—Seven police officers were killed in an explosives attack in western Colombia on Friday, the government said, the deadliest attack on security forces since President Gustavo Petro took office promising to end the country’s nearly 60-year conflict.

Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla, has pledged to seek “total peace” by restarting talks with leftist ELN rebels, applying a 2016 peace accord to former FARC guerrilla fighters who reject it, and negotiating the surrender of crime gangs in exchange for reduced sentences.