BOGOTA, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Seven Colombian soldiers and 11 guerrillas died in two separate clashes between the military and FARC guerrillas on Monday, less than three weeks before local elections to choose mayors and governors nationwide.
Guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attacked an army convoy with explosives in the mountainous southwest of the country in one incident, and the Colombian air force bombed a guerrilla camp in the north of the country, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said.
In southwestern Cauca province -- an area of intense FARC activity and a major zone of cocaine production -- FARC rebels set off explosives just as a military convoy passed, Pinzon said.
The aerial bombardment took place in rural North Santander province, which borders Venezuela.
"The bodies of 11 members of the FARC were found and seven rifles, three mortars and three grenade launchers were captured," Pinzon told reporters.
Colombia, a South American nation of 46 million people, has endured nearly five decades of armed conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The FARC, nominally a Marxist-inspired guerrilla army, is widely seen now as part of the illegal drugs trade.
Although the intensity of the conflict has eased in recent years since a U.S.-backed military offensive helped scatter guerrillas from some of their mountain and jungle strongholds, clashes between the FARC and the military remain frequent.
The guerrillas still have offensive capability and are able to stage high-impact attacks, including in large urban centers.
Local elections are set for Oct. 30 with more than 100,000 candidates seeking office amid a persistent climate of violence in the countryside. Some 37 candidates for local office have been killed in mostly unrelated acts, officials say. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Daniel Trotta, Editing by Sandra Maler)
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