4 soldiers killed in attack on helicopter in Colombia

Four Colombian soldiers were killed when the helicopter they were traveling in came under fire Thursday during an operation against the Clan del Golfo drug cartel in the country's northwest, according to media reports.

The helicopter, which had landed in the rural area of the municipality of Caceres, came under fire from unidentified individuals, the reports said.

A large number of reinforcements were sent to the area.

The military said in a statement that soldiers who were rappelling down from the helicopter were shot at.

The attack has been attributed to Clan del Golfo, a narcotrafficking criminal organization made up of former paramilitary forces.

Local media reports indicated that Clan del Golfo has between 6,000 and 9,000 armed members.

The group's former leader, Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known as Otoniel, was captured on Oct. 23, 2021 during Operation Osiris, a large-scale operation involving 22 helicopters and 650 police and military personnel in the town of Necocli.