Car Bomb Outside Police Station in Colombia Kills One, Injures 11

A car bomb detonated outside a police station in Los Patios, a town in northeastern Colombia near the Venezuelan border, killing at least one civilian and injuring 11 others, according to officials on Tuesday. The blast occurred around midnight in the town, which is part of the Cucuta metropolitan area. Police officers are believed to be among the wounded.

President Abelardo de la Espriella condemned the attack and pledged to pursue those responsible. In a post on X, he wrote, "Colombia will not yield to terrorism."

The region around Cucuta has long been a contested area, with drug gangs and rebel groups fighting over smuggling routes into Venezuela. The attack follows a similar incident in August, when an explosion outside a police station in Cucuta injured 11 officers and killed a police dog. Officials attributed that attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's largest remaining rebel group.

While a peace deal signed a decade ago with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reduced violence in many parts of the country, crime has surged in some regions as smaller groups battle for control of territory once held by the FARC. De la Espriella, who took office in August, has made tackling crime a priority and recently suspended peace talks with various rebel groups.