New Year 'massacre' in Colombia

Suspected left-wing rebels in Colombia killed 17 peasants at a party to celebrate New Year's Eve, police say.

A source said guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) burst into the party outside Tame, near the Venezuelan border.

A witness to the alleged massacre said the group opened fire after saying the villagers were co-operating with right-wing paramilitaries.

Police said the victims included four children and six women.

The attack took place in the province of Arauca, one of the country's most violent and remote areas, where left and right-wing groups fight for control of drug-smuggling corridors.

Arauca police said counter-insurgency police and army investigators have been sent to the area to investigate the allegations.

The incident came the same day that a senior Farc commander, Ricardo Palmera, was extradited to the United States on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

Colombia's armed forces chief put his troops on high alert, because of fears of reprisal attacks.