Colombia endured two major attacks on Thursday that left at least 17 people dead and more than 50 injured, marking the country’s bloodiest day in months. Within hours, a police helicopter was shot down in the northwest and a truck bomb detonated outside an air-force installation in the southwestern city of Cali. The first incident occurred near Amalfi, Antioquia, where a National Police UH-60 Black Hawk supporting coca-eradication teams was hit by an explosive-laden drone. The police later raised the death toll to 11 officers, with several others wounded. President Gustavo Petro said initial evidence points to the Frente 36 faction of the FARC dissidents, though he also cited possible involvement of the Gulf Clan cartel operating in the area. Later in the afternoon, a truck packed with explosives exploded on a commercial thoroughfare adjoining the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School in Cali, the country’s third-largest city. Local authorities reported six fatalities and about 50 injured, mostly civilians. Mayor Alejandro Eder offered a COP 400 million (about US$100,000) reward for leads and temporarily restricted heavy-vehicle traffic to tighten security. Petro condemned the violence as a “terrorist reaction” to recent military operations against illegal armed groups and said his administration will formally designate the EMC dissidents and the Gulf Clan as terrorist organisations. The army placed units on heightened alert nationwide while investigators assess whether the strikes were coordinated. The attacks underscore the growing use of drones and vehicle bombs by armed groups resisting government counter-narcotics efforts.