Colombian guerrillas hijacked a helicopter, kidnapped four mayors, and blew up an oil pipeline and two electricity pylons in a wave of attacks, officials said Saturday.
Four rebels died in two clashes with the army Saturday, military sources said, the latest victims of an upsurge of fighting in Colombia's decades-old guerrilla war following the suspension of peace talks in Mexico earlier this month.President Cesar Gaviria, taking a tough stance during a visit to a combat zone in northern Colombia Friday, was quoted by local newspapers as saying that the government would do everything necessary to convince the guerrillas by force that their only salvation was a political solution.
Armed men, thought to be rebels of the left-wing National Liberation Army, hijacked a Hughes 500 helicopter as it refuelled at Pore, 160 miles northeast of Bogota, Friday, police said.
The helicopter, owned by a Bogota company, had been contracted by Grant Tinser, a U.S. firm carrying out seismic work in the area for the British Petroleum Co PLC, oil industry sources said.
The guerrillas kidnapped the pilot but released the co-pilot, according to the oil industry sources. Police have so far been unable to trace the helicopter, which they believe the guerrillas may use to transport arms.
Guerrillas blew up an oil pipeline owned by the Texas Petroleum Co., near Barrancabermeja, 160 miles north of Bogota, Friday, police said. The attack caused a spillage of oil and forced a halt in pumping.
Rebels blew up two electricity pylons, part of a new line under construction, near Zaragoza in northern Colombia Friday, police said. Colombia is already suffering power cuts of up to eight hours a day because of an energy shortage blamed on drought, mismanagement and guerrilla sabotage.
Guerrillas kidnapped the mayors of four small towns in the northern province of Norte de Santander and threatened to give them a revolutionary trial, police said. More than 1,000 mayors, elected in March elections, are due to take office Monday.
About 60 rebels and soldiers have been killed in the past week in fierce fighting following the suspension of peace talks in Mexico earlier this month. The government and three guerrilla groups agreed to meet again in October after months of peace talks made no visible progress.