Rebels ambushed a military vehicle escorting a truck convoy along a northern Colombian highway Tuesday, killing 11 marines and injuring eight others, the navy said.

The rebels hurled grenades and opened fire on the marines' vehicle, but left the trucks unharmed, the navy said.

Authorities blamed Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for the attack. The leftist FARC is waging a 39-year civil war against the Colombian government and right-wing paramilitary groups.

The convoy was driving along a highway that winds its way from the nation's Caribbean Coast to the center of the country. The attack took place in the northern state of Bolivar, where rebels are battling security forces for control.

Also on Tuesday, the army said it had killed one illegal paramilitary fighter and captured 34 others during 10 days of a military offensive in central Colombia. Army troops also discovered a helicopter with Colombian Air Force logos on it in a paramilitary camp in the region.

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