Colombian troops killed in clash

Nine soldiers have been killed and four wounded in a clash with left-wing rebels in south-west Colombia, military officials say.

The troops came under mortar attack from about 100 rebels while they were patrolling, a military commander said.

One official said they had stopped rebels taking the town of Corinto, in the Cauca department.

He said the rebels were from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc.

Largely financed by drug trafficking, the Farc has been fighting a guerrilla war against Colombia's government since 1964.

According to Colombian media, some 30 rebels were killed in the fighting around Corinto.