A National Police helicopter was shot down in the Los Toros rural area of Amalfi (Antioquia) in an attack carried out with a drone loaded with explosives.
The attack, which occurred on the morning of August 21, 2025, resulted in a tragic toll of 12 police officers killed and several injured, becoming one of the most serious blows against the security forces in recent years.
The moment of the attack
Videos shared on social media show the moment when the aircraft flies over the area before being hit by the explosion. The helicopter crashed while carrying out a support mission for officers who were conducting manual eradication of illicit crops.
Initial official reports indicated eight fatalities, but local and national authorities later confirmed that the number rose to twelve, in addition to more than half a dozen injured who had to be evacuated in critical condition.
Atentado en Colombia: 12 policías muertos tras derribo de helicóptero con un dron
Perpetrators of the attack
President Gustavo Petro attributed the attack to the 36th Front of the Central General Staff (EMC), a FARC dissident group under the command of alias Calarcá. According to the president, the attack was related to recent operations in which one and a half tons (3,307 pounds) of cocaine from the Clan del Golfo were seized in Urabá, which would have motivated the armed retaliation.
"We have the unfortunate news of eight police officers killed and eight injured in the helicopter whose mission was to transport personnel for coca leaf crop eradication in Amalfi. The responsibility for the incident is attributed to the so-called 36th Front of the EMC," Petro said in an initial report, which was later updated with the final figure of 12 fatalities.
Atentado en Colombia: 12 policías muertos tras derribo de helicóptero con un dron
Another simultaneous attack
Meanwhile, in parallel with the attack in Amalfi, another explosive attack was reported in Cali, in front of the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Base, where six people were killed and more than sixty were injured. In that incident, also attributed to FARC dissidents, the community detained alias Sebastián, one of the alleged perpetrators, whose capture was recorded in videos shared on social media.
The temporal coincidence of both attacks increased the alarm among authorities, who interpret them as a demonstration of firepower and coordination by illegal armed groups in different regions of the country.
Atentado en Cali: seis muertos y más de 60 heridos en explosión frente a base aérea
A region under maximum tension
The attack in Amalfi occurs in a context of high violence in Antioquia, where EMC structures, factions of the Clan del Golfo, and other organizations dedicated to drug trafficking converge. The magnitude of the attack and the use of explosive drones represent an unprecedented challenge for the country's security, marking a new level in armed actions against the security forces.
With the deaths of 12 police officers in Amalfi and six more victims in Cali, the attacks on August 21 left a toll of 18 dead and more than 70 injured, consolidating them as one of the most violent days so far this year in Colombia.
