Gang war leaves eight dead in Colombia

Bogota, April 9 (EFE) Eight people were killed and four wounded in clashes between two rival gangs in the northwestern Colombia, the police said Wednesday.

Members of La 39 and La Galeras gangs, which work for drug traffickers, clashed between them in the city of Medellin following an attack on a salon in the La Pradera neighborhood that killed two youths and injured one, the police said.

After the attack, some unidentified gunmen shot dead a former paramilitary in the same area in the afternoon. The victim was shot several times while sitting in an SUV.

According to the police, the former paramilitary led several gangs of gunmen who previously belonged to the defunct United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia militia federation and now work for drug traffickers.

A peddler was also killed during the attack.

Separately, some heavily armed men attacked a group of young men who were talking after a community lunch in the same district, killing four people and wounding three others.

Police deployed additional patrols in the area, but no arrests were made.