The United States is offering a reward for information on the perpetrators of a terrorist attack that killed thirteen Colombia National Police officers, wounded four other police officers, and destroyed a U.S. helicopter last year. The attack took place in Colombia’s northwest department of Antioquia on August 21, 2025.
The helicopter, piloted by the Colombia National Police, was working to extract wounded officers who had been conducting a cocoa leaf-eradication operation in the Bajo Cauca region when they came under fire. Coca leaf is the primary ingredient used to manufacture cocaine. As the team loaded into the helicopter, a hidden improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated, destroying the U.S. government-titled UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $5 million for information on those responsible. One day after the attack, Alexander Diaz Mendoza, (also known as Calarca Cordoba), leader of the General Staff of Blocks and Fronts (EMBF), claimed responsibility for the attack in an interview with Colombian news outlet El Espectador.
The attack was reportedly led by the EMBF’s 36th Front. The EMBF is a splinter faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP), which the U.S. government designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in November 2021.
U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear we will not allow hostile actors to threaten U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere. He is using the full power of the United States to eradicate narco-terrorist cartels operating.
“We are taking concrete steps with our regional partners to combat terrorist groups such as the cartels,” said State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott.
If you or anyone you know has information on the attack, Alexander Diaz Mendoza, or on any associated individuals, contact Rewards for Justice via Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp at: +1 202-702-7843. You may also contact Rewards for justice via the TOR address listed on its website: www.rewardsforjustice.net.