Aug. 1 (UPI) — A truck exploded outside a police base in Colombia on Saturday, injuring 11 people and killing a police dog.

Government officials blamed the early morning blast in the city of Cucuta on the nation’s largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN in Spanish.

Eight National Police officers and three civilians were injured alongside an 8-year-old police dog named Gorda.

“The perpetrators are the narcoterrorists of the ELN, a criminal organization responsible for homicides, forced displacements, recruitment of minors, drug trafficking, illegal mining, and multiple violations of International Humanitarian Law,” Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on in a statement on X.

“They represent no social cause,” he added. “They represent terror and crime.”

The National Liberation Army, a rebel group with some 6,000 fighters, has been fighting the Colombian government for decades.

Police officials said the attack could be an attempt to destabilize the country days before the inauguration of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.

“The following actions could be carried out in connection with the inauguration of the new government on Aug. 7, 2026, with possible activity in the areas surrounding the cities of Bogotá and Cali, as these are considered by the armed groups to be the ‘center of government power,’ allowing them to demonstrate their operational capability and continued armed presence,” the National Police said in a statement to El Pais.

De La Espriella has come out strongly against the rebel group, saying he will cancel peace talks the outgoing government had been conducting with them.

“Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia nor break the will of Colombians to live in peace and security,” the president-elect said in a statement on X. “Those responsible must be identified, captured, and brought to justice with the full weight of the law.”