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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Marxist rebels ambushed a Colombian military convoy on Wednesday, killing 17 soldiers — the latest in a spate of bloody attacks that have undermined government claims the rebels are being defeated.
The troops were traveling in Arauca, an oil-rich state in northeastern Colombia used by the guerrillas to smuggle drugs and arms across the border in Venezuela, when they came under attack with explosives and gunfire, said Colombia's army chief, Gen. Reinaldo Castellanos.
Castellanos 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.
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