Colombia accuses Venezuelan troops of border incident

Colombia has accused Venezuelan troops of crossing into its territory, firing their weapons during an apparent hot pursuit of an individual on a motorcycle. Tensions along the border have been rising since mid-August when Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro closed key border crossings, deported hundreds of Colombians and declared local states of emergency in a crackdown on cross-border smuggling that has created a crisis between the two countries. On Thursday night, a Venezuelan fighter jet crashed near the border while pursuing a plane suspected of ferrying drugs, and last week the Colombian government said its airspace had been violated on three occasions by Venezuelan military aircraft. More…