Car bomb attack rattles Colombia after inauguration of hardline president

Colombia’s new government promises a harsh response following an explosion on the Pan-American Highway in the country’s southwest.Authorities have reported a car bomb attack in southwestern Colombia, one day after far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president.The country’s military alleged that the Saturday attack was carried out by two armed groups that splintered from the Colombia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="6250" data-entity-type="organization">Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a former rebel group that disarmed after a peace deal with the government in 2016.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3De la Espriella sworn in as Colombia’s leader, vows armed group crackdownlist 2 of 3Civilians faced attacks, abuse in joint US-Ecuador operations, HRW sayslist 3 of 3At least 11 wounded by Colombia car bomb days before presidential electionend of listAuthorities say the attack targeted a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in the coastal department of Cauca, in the west of the country.Two security guards reportedly suffered minor injuries in the explosion, which a witness said was carried out by an individual who left his car behind, then escaped the scene via motorcycle.The administration of President de la Espriella quickly pledged a stern response to the car bombing.“Colombia will not kneel before violence, nor will it allow the destruction of the infrastructure that connects our regions,” Minister of Transportation Elsa Noguera said in a social media post responding to the bombing.She proceeded to reference de la Espriella’s inaugural speech, wherein he pledged to “defeat narco-terrorism” and tamp down criminal activity.“As President Abelardo de la Espriella said yesterday, the time for restoring order has begun,” Noguera added. “We will recover security, control of our territories, and the peace of mind of Colombians.”The hardline president, who was inaugurated on Friday, had campaigned for office on a promise to lead a crackdown on Colombia’s armed groups.