Colombian Military, Rebels Clash
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BOGOTA, Colombia — Foot soldiers backed by helicopters and warplanes fought leftist rebels for a second day in remote northern Colombia on Friday in the biggest confrontation of a three-week rebel offensive.
The military would not confirm a report by RCN radio that 30 guerrillas were killed Thursday night when a column of more than 200 rebels was bombarded in a canyon outside Mutata.
The guerrillas had been blocking the highway between the banana-growing region of Uraba and Medellin 300 miles north of Bogota for five days as part of an effort to snarl commerce on the nation’s roads.
The reported casualties Thursday night appeared to be the first serious setback for the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces, or FARC, since the country’s oldest and largest rebel group launched its offensive Aug. 30.
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