Rebels Kill 6 Guards in Colombia Park Attack

Rebels attacked a crew that was removing coca plants from one of Colombia’s national parks and killed at least six police guards Wednesday, authorities said.

The government in January began a risky operation to manually eradicate thousands of acres of coca -- the green bush used to make cocaine -- from the Sierra Macarena National Park, 100 miles south of Bogota, the capital.

Rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who have held sway in the region and are heavily involved in the drug trade, have resisted the government action.

On Feb. 6, six other police officers were killed while protecting the 1,000 low-paid workers hired to rip out the plants using small shovels.

Just a third of the original 1,000 workers -- protected by 3,000 police and army troops -- are left to clear the park of an estimated 11,360 acres of coca.