BOGOTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and 11 others injured in a car bomb attack late Monday at the Los Patios police station in Cucuta, in Colombia's northeastern department of Norte de Santander, local police said Tuesday.
Cucuta Metropolitan Police Commander Jimmy Belalcazar said the attack occurred at around 11:15 p.m. local time (0415 GMT) Monday. Two police officers were among the injured, one with a severe leg injury and the other wounded by shrapnel.
Belalcazar told local media that, according to preliminary information, about 80 kg of explosives destroyed much of the police station and damaged nearby homes and businesses.
He said members of the National Liberation Army and dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operate in the area, though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella called an immediate security council meeting with senior security officials in the region.
"We will not leave any region of Colombia alone. Wherever terrorists try to sow fear, the state will be there with all its force," De la Espriella wrote on X.
The attack came hours after the president said at least 20 FARC dissidents had been killed in the department of Guaviare in the third bombing operation since his government took office.
"We will pursue with an iron hand those who attack Colombians, until we capture them, dismantle their structures and restore peace to our communities," he said. ■
