All news

Russian Foreign Ministry condemns deadly attacks on police in Colombia, Ecuador

Russia condemns in the most resolute way any manifestation of terrorism, the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. Russia is alarmed by attacks against law enforcement in Colombia and Ecuador and is calling for an end to the violence, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Tuesday.

"We’ve learned with great alarm about the attacks on members of law enforcement in Colombia and Ecuador, as a result of which innocent people died and heavy material damage was sustained," she stated.

"Russia condemns in the most resolute way any manifestation of terrorism, which is one of the biggest threats right now to security in Latin America," she emphasized. "The Russian side demands that such methods be renounced, whatever the motivations for them may be."

"We convey our condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish those who have been injured a speedy recovery," Zakharova said.

On January 27, 2018, unidentified attackers assaulted a police station in Barranquilla [Colombia’s Atlantico department] using an explosive device that killed five police officers and left 43 others injured. The National Liberation Army or ELN took responsibility for the attack.

The second incident took place in Soledad, a suburb of Barranquilla. There four police officers were wounded.

The third attack, which followed the same pattern, occurred in the town of Buenavista in the south of Bolivar department, claiming the lives of two police officers.

Overnight to Saturday, a bomb went off near a police station in the northeastern Ecuadorian Esmeralda governorate. The blast wounded roughly 23 individuals.