Assailants ambush and kill 3 police officers in southern Chile, shaking the country

Armed attackers ambushed and murdered three law enforcement officers in southern Chile on Saturday. They then set their car on fire, according to authorities. This incident marks the most recent assault on the police, raising security concerns in the South American nation.
It is not known who was responsible for the attack on Chile's national police force in the Biobio region, located approximately 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) south of Santiago, the capital.However, a longstanding conflict between the Mapuche indigenous community and landowners as well as forestry companies in Biobio and Chile's Araucania region further south has escalated in recent times. As a result, the government has taken action by declaring a state of emergency and sending the military to ensure security.
"There will be no impunity," Chilean President Gabriel Boric said, declaring three days of national mourning on Saturday, after firefighters dousing the burning police car made the grisly discovery.
The increase in violence has challenged Boric, who assumed office in 2022 with a pledge to reduce conflicts in the area. In this region, Mapuche activists armed with weapons have frequently stolen wood and targeted forestry businesses, which they allege have encroached on their traditional territories, as well as other sites such as churches and government buildings.
The indigenous community's lack of trust in authorities has grown stronger, leading to violence despite the Boric administration's claim of reducing Chile's national homicide rate by 6% as per the government data released earlier this week.
"This attack goes against all the enormous strides that have been made," said Interior Minister Carolina Toha, a center-left former mayor of Santiago appointed as minister in late 2022 to boost Boric's position as his approval ratings dipped.
Describing the assailants as "terrorists," Boric traveled south to personally offer condolences to the victims' families. The Carabineros, Chile's national police force, said they were "working to the best of our abilities' to catch the assailants but declined to comment on possible leads.
The murder was carefully planned, according to initial reports, and occurred on National Police Day, which marks the 97th anniversary of the founding of the Carabineros in Chile. This incident marked the second deadly assault on the force in the current month.
The general director of the Carabineros, Ricardo Yanez, informed the reporters that the officers were sent in reaction to false distress signals from the rural road, where they encountered a hail of bullets.
"This was not coincidental, it was not random," Yanez said of the ambush.
In Chile, approximately 10% of the population identify as Mapuche. The Mapuche tribe resisted Spanish conquest centuries ago and was ultimately defeated in the late 1800s following Chile's independence. Significant forestry companies and landowners currently possess approximately 500-700 kilometers of the Mapuche's original land, leading to many Mapuche individuals living in rural poverty.
(With inputs from agencies)