FARC rebels kill three policemen in southwestern Colombia

Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) killed three policemen in an armed attack in the country's southwestern Cauca department, Colombia's Police Director Rodolfo Palomino said on Thursday.

"They were cowardly attacked by those who surprised them with gunfire. One of them was killed in the place and two others died in a local hospital," Palomino said.

According to the official, the three policemen were manning a

checkpoint on a road in a rural area near Timbio municipality, which is located 15 kilometers away from Cauca's capital city of Popayan.

Palomino said that a reward of nearly 40,000 U.S. dollars has been offered for anyone who provides information that contributes to capture of the rebels who committed the crime.

The shooting occurred when the FARC escalated their actions against the authorities and the state infrastructure.

FARC rebels also dynamited a section of the Pan-American highway in Cauca, which destroyed one lane and blew up a fiber cable resulting in an internet breakdown in the neighboring department of Narino. The road was immediately closed for security reasons.

Despite the escalation of conflict in recent weeks, the

Colombian government and the FARC -- the largest guerilla force in Colombia -- continue seeking a final peace agreement at the negotiating table in Havana, Cuba, to end the 50 years of armed conflict. Endi