10 Soldiers killed in South-East Colombia

Ten Colombian soldiers and an officer have been killed in an attack by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the army says. The attack, which is considered as the worst rebel attack in many month, took place in the south-east of Colombia near the Venezuelan border. Two other soldiers were injured, according to the (BBC). The troops were ambushed while patrolling an area about 400km from the capital Bogota, officials say. The area where the attack took place, Arauquita, is under exploration by oil companies and is often targeted by rebels. The soldiers killed on Saturday belonged to a company in charge of protecting oil installations and roads used by petrol tankers. The attack came on the same day as the Farc announced it was ready to release ten soldiers and police officers it has held hostage for as long as 14 years. Last October, Farc rebels killed a total of 20 soldiers in two separate attacks. In the latest attack, the rebels are believed to have launched home-made missiles at the soldiers.