Indigenous Colombians drag soldiers off hilltop

TORIBIO, Colombia: Indigenous Colombians who say they are fed up being in the crossfire of the country’s long-running conflict have forcibly removed soldiers from a strategic hilltop, at least temporarily.
Several hundred Nasa Indians massed Tuesday against the six soldiers guarding the hilltop. Then a few dozen Indians attacked the soldiers with sticks and rocks. When the soldiers refused to budge, the Indians dragged them off.
One soldier fired about 10 shots into the air in frustration. But no one was seriously hurt.
The 115,000-strong Nasa have stepped up their campaign in the past week in the southwestern state of Cauca to try to force government troops and leftist rebels to leave them alone.
The turbulent region is a corridor for cocaine smuggling and locals also cultivate marijuana.