Plane Crashes Amid Fighting in Colombia
A U.S.-made Colombian warplane crashed Saturday amid heavy fighting between leftist rebels and government forces, killing seven airmen, the military said.
In addition, at least eight government soldiers and 12 rebels died in the ground combat at a communications complex on Mt. Montezuma, 155 miles west of the capital, Bogota. The clash was the bloodiest since President Clinton visited Colombia on Wednesday to support President Andres Pastrana’s fight against drug traffickers and leftist rebels who protect drug crops.
The AC-47 gunship outfitted with .50-caliber machine guns crashed into an 11,200-foot-high mountain about 5 a.m. as it returned to base from the fighting, the Colombian air force said in a communique. There were no survivors, and all those aboard were Colombian, the air force said.
Air Force Gen. Jairo Garcia insisted the plane was not shot down. He said poor visibility may have been a factor because the crash happened just before dawn in cloudy weather.
The plane had been providing fire support for the ground troops.
The fighting began Friday afternoon at the communications complex.
About 600 rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, attacked about 50 government soldiers at the complex, said Gen. Fernando Tapias, commander in chief of Colombian military forces. The rebels were repelled, military officials said.
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