Some 500 FARC rebels have surrounded a town 400 kilometers southwest of the capital. Toribio, has only about 3,000 residents, members of a local Indian tribe. The town was ransacked by FARC in 2002. The current siege is an attempt by FARC to push government forces out of the town. The army sent in reinforcements by helicopter, and an infantry battalion of 500 troops is approaching by road. FARC forces are attacking other towns in the area as well.
