and three other people, authorities said Monday. The bomb attack Sunday night in the western town of Planadas in Tolima department came as new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella steps up military operations against the country's drug-trafficking leftist insurgents. The rebels have in turn kept up attacks of their own, launching four in the past week alone, including one that killed a police officer over the weekend. Authorities said a hospital and several homes were damaged in the new blast that left streets strewn with rubble. At least 17 people were wounded. Footage from the scene showed a woman screaming as a man pulled a small body from the rubble. "With deep sorrow, I report that the attack in Planadas has left a preliminary toll of four people deceased, including a baby girl of only two months old," Tolima Governor Adriana Magali Matiz wrote on X.

The Defense Ministry blamed a renegade faction of the once-powerful FARC guerrilla army, which signed a peace accord with the government in 2016 to end decades of fighting. Planadas Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje said that drones were seen flying over the town. Colombia's cocaine-trafficking guerrillas have dramatically increased use of drones in their war with the state, in some instances for surveillance, in others to carry out attacks. Reacting on X, De la Espriella blamed "narcoterrorists" for the Planadas and other recent attacks and vowed: "WE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!" Matiz described the bombing as a "vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute forcefulness." The attack is the latest in a string of assaults by the various guerrilla factions that refused to embrace the landmark peace deal between the state and FARC a decade ago. US-backed De la Espriella broke off all peace talks when he came to power in August. He has ordered a barrage of airstrikes on the guerrillas, who have responded with bombings and drone strikes. On Saturday, a policeman was killed when a motorbike laden with explosives was detonated during Halloween celebrations in the town of Algeciras in Huila department, which neighbors Tolima in the south. On Friday, De la Espriella sent troops into Cucuta, the main city on the border with Venezuela, due to an increase in attacks in that region. (Bssnews)