Truck explodes outside Colombia police base, injuring 11 officers and killing a dog

Colombia’s government on Saturday blamed the nation’s largest remaining rebel group for an explosion outside a police base that injured 11 officers and killed a police dog.

The attack took place early Saturday in Cucuta, a city along Colombia’s border with Venezuela, where drug gangs and rebel groups have long fought for the control of smuggling routes.

General William Rincon, the director of Colombia’s police, said the blast came from a truck that had been left outside a building that serves as the headquarters for police in Norte de Santander Province. The predawn explosion damaged much of the building’s roofing and shattered its windows.

“This was a vile terrorist attack,” Rincon said. “We will not rest until we find those who are responsible and have them prosecuted.”

In a message on social media, Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed the National Liberation Army rebel group for the attack, and offered a US$60,000 reward for information leading to those behind the car bombing.

The attack comes as Colombia prepares to inaugurate a new president. Next Friday, Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultraconservative who has promised to cancel peace talks with the nation’s remaining rebel groups, will be sworn into office in Cali, another Colombian city where rebel groups have staged attacks recently.

The National Liberation Army, or ELN, has been fighting Colombia’s government for decades, and is believed to have 6,000 fighters operating in Colombia and neighbouring Venezuela.