Colombian military forces announced on Wednesday they successfully neutralized five members of the militant group responsible for a devastating bus bombing that killed 20 civilians and left 45 others injured.

In a statement from the Military Forces of Colombia, officials said the neutralized suspects were members of the “Estructura Jaime Martínez,” an organized armed group.

In addition to planting the explosives in the municipality of Cajibío, authorities claim the group’s criminal activities included stealing vehicles along the Pan-American Highway and indiscriminately deploying drones loaded with explosives.

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A video shared along with the statement appeared to show body bags laid out in front of a military helicopter and numerous seized weapons.

The military retaliation followed an April 26 terror attack, when an explosive device detonated on a passenger bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the volatile Cauca region. 

The blast killed 15 women and five men, according to a report from The Associated Press.

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While initial local reports said 36 people were injured, including several children, the Colombian military’s recent update noted that 45 civilians were wounded in the explosion.

Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia’s armed forces, quickly condemned the bus bombing as a “terrorist act.”

He attributed the attack to dissident factions of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), specifically pointing to the Jaime Martínez faction and the network of “Iván Mordisco,” one of the country’s most wanted figures.

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights previously urged authorities to “guarantee justice for the victims.”

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Southwestern Colombia has become a battleground for illegal armed groups vying for control over coca leaf cultivation areas and crucial drug trafficking routes leading to Central America and Europe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te reiterates his desire for talks based on ‘parity and respect’ with China.

Taiwan’s president has said he hopes the United States approves a $14bn arms sale “as soon as possible”, reiterating that the island “rejects unification” with China.

Taiwan relies heavily on US support to deter any potential Chinese attack, and Washington has put pressure on Taipei to increase its defence spending.

But arms sales also complicate ties between Washington and Beijing. Democratically governed Taiwan is viewed by China as its own territory, and Beijing has ⁠stepped up military and diplomatic pressure on the island.

In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the $14bn deal was “under review”.

Speaking to the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Taipei on Thursday, Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te reiterated his desire for talks based on “parity and respect” with China, but said only the Taiwanese people can decide their future.

“Taiwan’s safeguarding of its own national security and maintaining its democratic and free way of life, ‌its refusal to accept unification, and its refusal to accept rule by the Chinese Communist Party should not be seen as a provocation against China,” he added.

Taiwan said the US’s commitments to Taiwan have not changed, as it is required under domestic law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. A top US military official said last month Washington was pausing its $14bn arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for its war on Iran.

“We will continue to maintain close communication with the US government, and we also hope the arms purchases can be approved as ⁠soon as possible,” Lai said.

The Taiwanese president has championed increased defence spending, though last month Taiwan’s parliament only approved two-thirds of the $40bn defence budget Lai had proposed, cutting the part that had been meant for drones and domestically produced weapons.

On Thursday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it was proposing another special ‌defence package worth $210bn new Taiwan dollars ($6.64bn) for surveillance and small unmanned surface drones.

Lai said China should renounce the use of force and its military activities in the Western Pacific, as Taiwan’s arms purchases send an important message to the world that it is willing to defend ‌itself.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who tried to get into pop star Sabrina Carpenter ‘s home more than a dozen times was ordered by a judge Wednesday to stay away from her for five years.

William Applegate, 31, said at a hearing that he and Carpenter were part of a classified military program that required them to “be together as soon as possible” because it’s essential to “national and global security.”

In one instance last month, Applegate hit a security guard and was arrested after reaching the front door of Carpenter’s home in Los Angeles, she said in a petition. He got there through a neighboring property. He came back in the following days, and the judge issued a temporary restraining order on May 29.

Applegate admitted to all his appearances, saying Carpenter wanted him to be there. However, he said he would be “more than willing” to stay away from her if she told him herself. He said police and her representatives were working against him.

With no attorney, he delivered the message coherently, wearing a suit and sitting at the defense table with a laptop.

Carpenter was ready to testify remotely but was not called to do so.

Her attorney Blair Berk told the judge “she is in fear for her own personal safety and the safety of members of her family.” Berk questioned Applegate only to verify that social media posts about Carpenter were from him.

Applegate said in his filing opposing the restraining order that he was at Carpenter’s Coachella festival performance in April and she had looked at him as she sang in an attempt to communicate with him.

In her petition, Carpenter called him “a complete stranger” who she has never met or communicated with, and never wants to.

Judge David L. Wasserman treated Applegate’s assertions seriously in his questioning and said he appreciated the decorum of everyone in the courtroom.

“I understand that it’s your belief that in order to save the world, you and the petitioner must be together,” the judge said. “I expect you to obey the order, not what you think is right, not what you think the military commands you.”

He ordered Applegate to stay at least 100 yards (meters) from Carpenter and her sister and sister’s partner who live with her, along with many other restrictions. Applegate was also ordered not to attempt to communicate with her in any way and not to possess any firearms.

Applegate remains under a criminal investigation, but court records do not show that charges have been filed.

Carpenter, 27, starred in the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World” as a teen before turning to a music career. She had modest success with her first few studio albums before scoring a breakthrough with 2022’s “Emails I Can’t Send.” With her 2024 album “Short n’ Sweet” and its No. 1 hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” she became a multiple Grammy winner and one of the biggest pop stars in the world.