Soldier Wounded in Attack on Peru Military Base

A soldier was wounded in a suspected guerrilla attack on a military base in Peru's coca-rich La Mar province, local press reported Friday.

The incident occurred Thursday night at the Colpa military base shortly after the defense minister inaugurated a new outpost in the region and announced the construction of a dozen more to fight Shining Path guerrillas.

The government plans to build the bases in a valley in central and southern Peru that has been a flash point for fighting since 2006.

"We have enough soldiers and officers to achieve territorial control in this area, where drug trafficking has allied with terrorism," Defense Minister Pedro Cateriano said during the inauguration.

The Maoist Shining Path is more fragmented than during its height several decades ago and its main leaders are imprisoned. The government claims the remaining forces have allied with drug traffickers.

Peru is one of the world's leading producers of coca leaves and cocaine, according to reports from the United Nations and U.S. drug agency.

More than 69,000 people were killed during two decades of fighting between the government and the Shining Path from 1980 to 2000.