Bogot:

Nine Colombian soldiers died Monday when their helicopter crashed in the northern Bolivar department, where the military is battling the biggest cocaine cartel, authorities said.

The crash happened as the helicopter was delivering new troops for operations against the Gulf Clan, President Gustavo Petro said on X.

Neither Petro nor the military mentioned the cause of the crash of the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter or whether the Clan, with some 4,000 armed fighters, had anything to do with it.

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