60 officers feared killed by rebels

Bogota - Marxist rebels rained home-made missiles on to a police base in a remote jungle region of eastern Colombia yesterday…

Bogota - Marxist rebels rained home-made missiles on to a police base in a remote jungle region of eastern Colombia yesterday and security sources said up to 60 officers may have died.

The attack by up to 600 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas began before dawn and fierce fighting was still raging as night fell.

The raid came one week before security forces are due to pull out of a swathe of south-east Colombia - an area the size of Switzerland - to make way for the first peace talks in six years between the government and FARC chieftains.