17 killed in car bomb, drone strike in Colombia
Shafaq News – Cali
A car bomb ripped through a busy street outside the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Force School in Cali on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring 36, Colombian police said.
Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed the death toll and announced a ban on heavy trucks entering the city, alongside the imposition of martial law in Colombia’s third-largest urban center. Authorities offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to those responsible.
Hours later, a drone attack downed a police helicopter on a counternarcotics mission in Amalfi, northern Colombia, killing all 12 officers on board.
Colombia saw one of its deadliest days in years with two major FARC dissident attacks yesterday.Antioquia: A police Black Hawk helicopter on a coca eradication mission was shot down by a drone with explosives, killing 12 officers and injuring 7—the first such drone strike in… pic.twitter.com/dcoreI2pFf
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 22, 2025
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the bombing as a “terrorist act” and blamed the Mordisco group, a faction of the country’s drug cartels, saying the strikes were retaliation for government crackdowns on cocaine trafficking.
President Gustavo Petro convened an emergency National Security Council meeting, vowing stronger measures to protect civilians. The Defense Ministry stated that the state “will not yield to terrorism” and pledged that those behind the attacks would face full justice.
