Clashes kill 56 in Colombia

Fierce jungle fighting in Colombia’s main coca growing region killed 30 soldiers and 26 left-wing guerillas, the army said - the heaviest casualties since a US-backed anti-drugs offensive got under way late last year.

The battle broke out at an army base near the riverside town of Puerto Leguizamo, 320 miles south of Bogota in southern Putumayo state, a launching point for Colombian marine operations against rebels and drug traffickers.

The army said it had sent in reinforcements and was pursuing retreating guerillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.