President Petro confirms police helicopter downed by drug cartel in Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that a police helicopter was shot down by militants of the Gulf Clan (Clan de Golfo) during an anti-narcotics operation in the Antioquia department aimed at eradicating coca crops.

Petro said that law enforcement agencies had recently seized 1.5 tons of cocaine from the Gulf Clan in the Urabá region, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He explained that the attack occurred during ongoing operations to destroy coca fields in the municipality of Amalfi, Antioquia, when the criminal group retaliated by targeting a police helicopter. According to the president, the Colombian Air Force responded immediately to the situation.

Tragically, all eight police officers on board the helicopter were killed in the incident.

Defence Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez confirmed that the country’s armed forces, together with the national police, were deployed to the crash site to recover the victims, provide operational support, and pursue those responsible for the attack.

President Petro later stated that the 36th Front of the Central Command was behind the downing of the helicopter. However, Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián offered a different version of events, claiming the police aircraft had been brought down by a drone.

The tragedy came amid a surge of violence across Colombia. Reports indicate that between six and twelve people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks carried out by different armed groups in Santiago de Cali and other areas of Antioquia.

In a separate incident, on August 22, five people were killed and 36 others injured in an explosion near the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Base in Cali, further highlighting the escalating security crisis in the country.

By Tamilla Hasanova