In a chilling episode that has sent shockwaves through Chile, three police officers were ambushed and killed in the southern part of the country, their vehicle set ablaze by unidentified assailants. The incident, which occurred in the Biobio region, approximately 250 miles south of the capital, Santiago, has reignited security concerns in the South American nation.
The victims, identified as Sergeant Carlos Cisterna, Corporal Sergio Arevalo, and Corporal Misael Vidal, were responding to what turned out to be fake distress calls on a rural road. They were met with a barrage of gunfire, their armored patrol vehicle set on fire. The gruesome discovery was made by firefighters who were called to extinguish the burning vehicle.
The incident, which coincided with National Police Day, marking the 97th anniversary of the establishment of the Carabineros, Chile's national police force, was the second fatal attack on the force this month. "This was not coincidental, it was not random," said Ricardo Yanez, the Carabineros' general director.
The identity of the assailants remains unknown, but the incident has brought to the fore a long-standing conflict between the Mapuche Indigenous community and landowners and forestry companies in the region. The Mapuche, who make up about 10% of Chile's population, have been in a protracted struggle over land rights, accusing large forestry companies and farm owners of encroaching on their ancestral lands.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who assumed office in 2022 with a promise to ease tensions in the region, declared three days of national mourning following the incident. "There will be no impunity," he vowed, as he traveled south to personally offer condolences to the victims' families.
The attack comes as a blow to Boric's administration, which had recently announced a 6% reduction in the national homicide rate, according to 2023 government figures. "This attack goes against all the enormous strides that have been made," said Interior Minister Carolina Toha, a former mayor of Santiago.
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