Colombia Attacks in Amalfi and Cali Kill 18

Two coordinated attacks in Colombia on Thursday left at least 18 people dead and more than 40 injured, broadening concerns about the security situation in areas long at the front line of Colombia’s drug-trafficking networks. In Amalfi, a police helicopter participating in a coca crop eradication operation was downed, killing 12 officers and injuring several others. In Cali, a vehicle-borne explosive attack near a military aviation base killed six people and wounded dozens. Authorities attributed both assaults to dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), underscoring the persistence of organized violence even as the state pursues coca eradication and anti-cartel efforts.

In Amalfi, Antioquia, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was reportedly struck while flying over coca leaf crops. The incident appeared to be linked to the region’s volatile drug-trafficking landscape, where FARC dissidents and criminal groups operate in proximity to large-scale cocaine production. Governor Andrés Julián Rendón published video footage showing a dense plume of black smoke rising from the crash site, confirming the casualty toll. Defence authorities indicated the...