Colombia Rebels Kill at Least 13 Officers

[Algorem]

Colombia Rebels Kill at Least 13 Officers

By Associated Press

May 19, 2005, 9:07 PM EDT

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-colombia-violence,0,6024122.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombian rebels ambushed a police convoy and clashed with government forces in separate violence on Thursday, killing at least 13 officers and wounding five others, authorities said.

The convoy was traveling on a remote jungle road in Choco state, a strategic corridor for arms and drug trafficking through Panama, when it came under attack in a hail of gunfire and explosions, said Choco Deputy Governor Freddy Lloreda.

Lloreda blamed the attack on guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has been battling to topple the government here for 40 years. The group funds itself through drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion.

The latest violence came as the air force announced Thursday that its warplanes had bombed a column of leftist guerrillas trudging through southern jungles over the weekend, killing at least 16 guerrillas...