Four police officers, three soldiers killed in Colombia

Four police officers and three soldiers were killed in north-eastern Colombia when their patrol came under attack by unknown assailants late Saturday, police said. The attack in which grenades and gunfire was used took place in the province of Aruaca, near the border with Venezuela, regional police chief Marlon Granados said.
He blamed the attack on the Marxist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. "This is an attack by FARC, which has brutally and inhumanely taken the life of men who are serving the public good of our country," Granados said.
The rebel group has been fighting the government for over 45 years. In recent years, it has been expelled from large parts of the country. But the activities of the group, widely funded through drug smuggling, continues to cause casualties. No peace process currently exists.