Bomb attack on Colombia police station

BOGOTA, Jan 28 (AFP): At least five police officers were killed and 41 others wounded Saturday when alleged drug traffickers detonated a bomb at a station in the northern city of Barranquilla, hours after a car bomb ripped through a security post near the border in neighbouring Ecuador.

There was no apparent link between the two attacks, but they come as President Juan Manuel Santos seeks to end the armed conflict that has wracked Colombia for 50 years. Much of the violence has been linked to drug trafficking.

The bombing in Barranquilla was one of the deadliest on security personnel in recent years, casting a pall over preparations for the annual carnival, a major attraction in the bustling Caribbean port city.