(5 Jul 1998) Spanish/Nat
Five people died and another 15 were injured when one of three bombs planted by rebels went off along a highway running through north eastern Colombia.
Eyewitnesses said about 30 members of the National Liberation Army forced passing motorists to stop before telling them that bombs had been planted for the expected arrival of an army convoy.
There were reports that one of the bombs went off accidentally.
A white van stands by the road side and marks the spot of yet more bloodshed in Colombia.
A bomb, one of three believed to have been planted by members of the National Liberation Army (E-L-N) rebel force, went off here on Saturday.
Five people were killed and another 15 were injured.
The incident comes as the E-L-N prepares for historic peace talks on the neutral turf of Germany later this month.
The road leads out of El Copey, a town in the far north eastern Department of Cesar.
Eye witnesses reported seeing about 30 members of the E-L-N stopping passing motorists early on Saturday morning.
They say drivers were forced out of their cars and were told bombs would be planted in anticipation of the army's arrival.
But one of the devices went off unexpectedly, killing five people.
Among them were a father and daughter.
The rebels then fled the scene before the police arrived.
UPSOUND: (Spanish)
"This sort of rebel attack happens especially in (the department of) Cesar, in areas where the public forces cannot suddenly provide the capacity for complete security coverage. They (the rebels) take advantage of this with this rapid fire attack. The manner of it terrifies me because in this case four civilians died and some ten civilians were injured. Given the situation of so many people, we must condemn what happened, not only we the public forces, but also non-government organisations, human rights groups - we must repudiate this act because these humble people were vilely killed. A labourer/builder, and those who were passing in their vehicles and were unexpectedly surprised by the attack, were ridden with shrapnel."
SUPER CAPTION: Jesus Emiro Valencia, Army colonel
The attack underscores continuing rebel violence, despite the possible start of peace talks between mediators and the E-L-N later this month in Germany.
On Friday, it was reported locally that the E-L-N had planned to assassinate Colombian President Ernesto Samper to prove it remained a potent rebel force in opposition to the government.
But both the estimated 15-thousand strong E-L-N, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) say they will discuss peace with incoming President Andres Pastrana when he takes office in August.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
