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| Rebels hit Colombian police post | Rebels hit Colombian police post |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| At least 17 people have been killed when left-wing Farc rebels attacked a Colombian police station, police officials have said. | |
| A large force attacked the remote police station in the northern Cordoba province early on Wednesday. | |
| Army reinforcements helped beat off the attack, the deadliest since Alvaro Uribe was re-elected president in May. | Army reinforcements helped beat off the attack, the deadliest since Alvaro Uribe was re-elected president in May. |
| Mr Uribe broke off talks with the Farc over a prisoner exchange, blaming the group for a recent Bogota bomb attack. | |
| More than 400 rebels attacked the police station in the town of Tierradentro, about 230 miles (380km) northwest of the capital, with improvised mortars made from gas cylinders. | |
| "The Farc attacked the local population and a police post... a civilian and 16 police were killed as a result of this terrorist assault," Reuters news agency quoted Colombia's defence ministry as saying. | "The Farc attacked the local population and a police post... a civilian and 16 police were killed as a result of this terrorist assault," Reuters news agency quoted Colombia's defence ministry as saying. |
| The ministry said the bodies of three rebels had been recovered after the attackers withdrew. | The ministry said the bodies of three rebels had been recovered after the attackers withdrew. |
| The attack shows that the rebels are seeking to take over the territory once dominated by right-wing paramilitaries who have demobilised and entered a peace agreement with the government, the BBC's Jeremy McDermott says. | |
| The news is a blow for Mr Uribe, who has vowed to crush the rebels by the end of his term in 2010, our correspondent says. | |
| He says the attack shows that the Marxist rebels have re-taken the initiative from the US-backed Colombian military. | |
| Talks broken off | Talks broken off |
| President Uribe has boosted spending on the military and launched major offensives against guerrillas. | |
| But a prisoner swap had seemed possible until the car bombing in Bogota two weeks ago that injured more than 20 people. | But a prisoner swap had seemed possible until the car bombing in Bogota two weeks ago that injured more than 20 people. |
| Mr Uribe broke off talks and said he was considering a military rescue of hostages. | Mr Uribe broke off talks and said he was considering a military rescue of hostages. |
| Farc is holding more than 3,000 people hostage, including some 60 politicians and foreigners. | Farc is holding more than 3,000 people hostage, including some 60 politicians and foreigners. |
| The group released a statement late Tuesday saying it was still interested in an exchange of 60 hostages for 500 rebels the government holds, according to Associated Press news agency. | The group released a statement late Tuesday saying it was still interested in an exchange of 60 hostages for 500 rebels the government holds, according to Associated Press news agency. |
| Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - is the largest rebel group in Colombia. It has been fighting the government for more than four decades. | Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - is the largest rebel group in Colombia. It has been fighting the government for more than four decades. |
| On Friday, the Colombian government and the country's second-largest rebel group, ELN, announced that they would begin formal peace negotiations. | On Friday, the Colombian government and the country's second-largest rebel group, ELN, announced that they would begin formal peace negotiations. |