21.05.2002 (ANNCOL News) Early in the morning on May 14th guerrillas of the two major rebel groups FARC-EP and ELN attacked an army base in the Campamento municipality in Antioquia and encountered fierce resistance from a mixed force of paramilitary gunmen and soldiers belonging to the "Girardot y Rifles Battallion" of the Colombian Army.



During the fighting which included repeated air strikes on the attacking guerrilla forces, 20 regular soldiers and 75 gunmen from the death squad umbrella organization AUC were killed together with 12 guerrilla soldiers.



On the previous day guerrillas from FARC's José María Córdoba Bloc attacked an army unit in La Union also on the Antioquia depatment, killing 15 soldiers. rebels sources said that the guerrillas also blew up a strategic bridge between Salamina and Tácora further southwards in the Caldas department.