BOGOTA – At least two police officers and two rebels died on Sunday in an attack by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas on a patrol in the town of Algeciras that also left eight other people wounded, police said.

The officers were caught by surprise by the guerrillas around a market in the plaza of the town in the southwestern province of Huila, the deputy provincial police chief, Col. Jose Maria Losada, said.

The guerrillas killed two officers who were providing security in the town, Losada said in a press conference in Neiva, the capital of Huila.

The attack set off a firefight that killed two rebels, Losada said, adding that another police officer and seven civilians were wounded.

“This is part of the reprisals by the FARC for the capture of terrorists,” Losada said, referring to recent operations targeting the FARC in southern Huila and neighboring Caqueta province.

The guerrillas who carried out the attack were wearing civilian clothes, Losada said.