Clashes between Colombian military and guerrilla dissidents leave a soldier dead and another wounded

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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — One Colombian soldier was killed and another injured Thursday in clashes with guerrilla dissidents in a coca-growing region where their turf war with a rebel group has left dozens of people dead this year.

A statement from an anti-narcotics branch of Colombia’s National Army said the soldiers were carrying out “military stability operations” when they “engaged in combat against” holdouts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the group’s Spanish acronym.

It was not immediately clear what caused the soldier’s death. The army in the statement blamed an improvised explosive device for the wounded soldier’s injuries.

Two dissidents were also injured. The army did not explain their condition.

The clashes come less than a month after President Gustavo Petro’s issued a decree giving him emergency powers to restore order in the region that borders Venezuela, including through curfews and other steps that would normally violate Colombians’ civil rights or require congressional approval.

The conflict in the rural Catatumbo region, where the Colombian state has struggled for decades to gain a foothold, has left more than 60 people dead and at least 50,000 others displaced as fighting intensified between members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and holdouts from the FARC, a guerrilla group that largely disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with the government.

The area is key for drug trafficking, the smuggling of goods and other cross-border illicit activities. It has around 300,000 residents and produces 15% of Colombia’s coca crop.

An explosive devise also seriously injured a police officer Thursday in the city of Cucuta, which is adjacent to the Catatumbo region. William Quintero, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cucuta, told reporters shrapnel wounded the officer after the device was thrown at a police station.

Quintero said explosive devices detonated at two other police stations stations and a toll booth. He said authorities have not identified the person or group behind the attacks and are offering more than $24,000 as a reward for information that leads to arrests.

Quintero added the latest escalation of violence coincides with “notable dates for the ELN,” including the anniversary of the death of Camilo Torres, a priest who was part of the group.