COLOMBIA LEFTIST REBELS ATTACKING POLICE STATION SAY THEY'VE KILLED ALMOST
24 OFFICERS

BOGOTA -- Leftist rebels attacking a police station in a mountain town
claimed to have killed nearly two dozen officers and authorities said they
feared the worst Sunday as they struggled to deploy reinforcements.

Radio transmissions from the besieged police officers in the town of
Arboleda were cut Sunday morning, about 24 hours after the attack began.
The rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, told a
local photojournalist who tried to enter Arboleda that they had killed 23
police officers.

The attack could be the bloodiest since the United States approved $1.3
billion in aid to Colombia to battle leftist rebels and other armed groups
involved in narcotics production. As a rebel offensive heats up, there are
calls for the aid to be used for anti-guerrilla missions that aren't
directly related to drugs.