Guardia officers come under attack

In the war-torn Central Republic of Africa a group of Spanish Civil Guard were forced to flee as militants threw grenades at their cars.

In one of the more dangerous districts of capital Bangui at around 20.00, the officers stopped a man carrying an AK-47. He refused to give ID and then ran away from the Spaniards leading to a gun fight.

The Civil Guard used their cars for cover and then left to escape the firefight but whilst driving away, grenades bombarded them and could have caused injuries if not fatalities. Fortunately no-one was hurt in the encounter and the seven escaped.

Overall Spain has about 20 special officers for the region, an ever decreasing number due to the rise in extreme militant behaviour from some groups. A crackdown on this sort of violence is being attempted and the officers involved must feel happy to survive the close call without any minor injuries.