Car bomb explodes inside Colombia military base
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A car bomb exploded Tuesday inside a military base in the Colombian border town of Cucuta, according to several media outlets based in that city.
Footage shared on social media showed black smoke rising from the base followed by a loud explosion. Other videos showed a car burning next to a building with broken windows inside the base.
Colombian authorities have not confirmed if there were casualties, but television footage showed ambulances rushing toward the base. Colombia's defense minister tweeted that he was heading to Cucuta to "verify" the situation.
Cucuta is located on the border with Venezuela and is the capital of the state of North Santander, where several criminal groups are fighting over drug trafficking routes and also use the loosely patrolled border with Venezuela to smuggle fuel and weapons.
The explosion came as antigovernment protests appear to wind down in Colombia. Protest leaders announced Tuesday they will suspend marches that have been going on for seven weeks. At least 50 people have died in the protests over poverty and growing inequality, which started on April 28.
In 2019, an car bomb at a police academy in Bogota, killed 21 people. That attack was staged by the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group.
