1.   Eight Colombian soldiers died in fighting with rebel groups in the northern part of the country, El Tiempo reported.

2.   Last weekend, Colombian soldiers broke up a guerrilla roadblock and pursued the rebels for days through the jungle, eventually killing more than a dozen.

3.   The bullets were fired by Colombian soldiers who had been hiding behind the bushes.

4.   They also toured bases in southern Colombia where U.S. Green Berets have been training thousands of Colombian soldiers for anti-drug raids.

5.   Rebel attacks on wells and pipelines in Colombia have prompted oil companies to hire Colombian soldiers for protection, The New York Times reported.

6.   A handful of Colombian soldiers, their chests draped with bandoliers of bullets, guarded the scene.

7.   After the training, Colombian soldiers will be sent to battle rebels engaged in cocaine production further south.

8.   An explosion inside a warehouse for guerrilla munitions killed at least seven Colombian soldiers who had seized the house and wounded six others.

9.   At least five Colombian soldiers were killed and two were wounded in clashes with leftist rebels in a turbulent zone south of the capital.

10.   But plans are envisioned to expand the training to more Colombian soldiers in smaller batches in other parts of the country, the official said.