At least four people have died in a wave of bomb and gun attacks in south-western Colombia, according to local media reports. Two police officers were said to be among those killed in the attacks, which targeted Cali, the country's third-largest city, and several nearby towns. Car bombs, motorcycle bombs, rifle fire and a suspected drone were reportedly used to strike police stations, municipal buildings and civilian targets as an escalating security crisis grips the South American country. Local media have linked some of the attacks to a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a once-powerful guerrilla group. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this. Multiple people have been injured in the attacks, although the precise number of dead and injured is not yet clear. In a statement posted to social media, the Colombian Ministry of Defence said 19 attacks had taken place in the country's south west. There were 12 attacks in the Cauca region and seven in the Valle del Cauca region, the ministry said. The ministry described the violence as "a desperate reaction by illegal armed groups to the massive operations of the [military and police], which have devastated their illicit structures and economies". The attacks come days after the attempted assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in the capital city, Bogota, while he addressed supporters. The mayor of the region's biggest city, Cali, said the city had returned to 1989, when it was blighted by the drugs trade and cartel violence.
