Bomb Kills 4 as Ranchers, Rebels Battle in Colombia

Police blamed guerrillas for a bomb that exploded in a northwestern Colombian city on Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 34.

The bombing of a ranchers association appeared to be an escalation of the war between rebels, who often kidnap ranchers or extort money from them, and paramilitary groups that are hired to protect the landowners.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Monteria, about 300 miles northwest of Bogota, the capital. But police believe rebels planted the bomb, Police Col. Gabriel Carrero told RCN radio.

In recent months, paramilitary groups have murdered dozens of peasants suspected of collaborating with the rebels. The private armies, which have the military’s tacit support, also have kidnapped at least six relatives of guerrilla leaders. They released several this month.

In response to the attacks, the government last week offered a $1-million reward for the capture of rancher Carlos Castano, who commands private armies in Cordoba state and the neighboring region of Uraba.

On Oct. 21, a bomb hidden in an ice cream cart damaged a police station in Monteria. At least a dozen people, including police officers, were injured.

In that case, police suspected rebels of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The bomb was placed near the office of a farmers foundation run by paramilitary leaders.