Colombia: Eighteen killed in military, rebels clash

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Colombia: Eighteen killed in military, rebels clash

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At least seven Colombian soldiers and 11 FARC rebels have been killed in bloody clashes.

12 October,2011 06:09 am

Seven Colombian soldiers and 11 guerrillas died in two separate clashes between the military and FARC guerrillas, less than three weeks before local elections to choose mayors and governors nationwide.Guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attacked an army convoy with explosives in the mountainous southwest of the country in one incident, and the Colombian air force bombed a guerrilla camp in the north of the country, Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said.The aerial bombardment took place in rural North Santander province, which borders Venezuela.In southwestern Cauca province -- an area of intense FARC activity and a major zone of cocaine production -- FARC rebels set off explosives just as a military convoy passed, Pinzon said.Colombia, a South American nation of 46 million people, has endured nearly five decades of armed conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The FARC, nominally a Marxist-inspired guerrilla army, is widely seen now as part of the illegal drugs trade.Local elections are set for Oct. 30 with more than 100,000 candidates seeking office amid a persistent climate of violence in the countryside. Some 37 candidates for local office have been killed in mostly unrelated acts, officials said.