6 killed in combat between Colombian army, guerrillas

The Colombian army confirmed Thursday the deaths of three soldiers and three rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas during a combat in the country's eastern Arauca Department.

The combat took place in the town of Las Tropicales, Arauquita municipality after local inhabitants warned the authorities about an imminent attack on a local oil complex.

One officer and two soldiers of the Quiron Task Force under the Ministry of Defense were killed in the combat. The three rebels killed belonged to the FARC's 10th Faction, the army said in a statement.

The Quiron Task Force was created two years ago by the ministry to protect the Colombian border with Venezuela and the oil infrastructures in the region, the army said.

The new clash is one of several that took place this week after the FARC unilaterally decided to suspend a ceasefire agreement, in response to the bombing of an insurgent camp that left 26 rebels dead.

President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the bombing after the FARC murdered 11 soldiers in the western Cauca department.

Despite the escalation of conflicts in recent weeks, both sides, the Colombian government and the FARC, have said they will continue to seek a final peace agreement at the negotiating table in Havana, Cuba, to end the 50-year-long armed conflict.