Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says 10 Colombian “paramilitaries” have been among those killed during clashes between security forces and armed gangs over the past week.

Seuxis Paucias Hernandez, known in Colombia by his nom de guerre Jesus Santrich, was traveling on a truck in the western Venezuelan state of Zulia when he was attacked by a Colombian commando unit that had illegally crossed the border, a group of former FARC members has claimed.

Venezuela says eight soldiers have been kidnapped by Colombian armed groups during combat in a border state.

Eight Venezuelan soldiers are killed in fighting with illegal Colombian armed groups along the border with Colombia, the Venezuelan Defense Ministry says.

A recent spate of mass killings in Colombia will not be stopped by the presence of the armed forces alone, a security official said, emphasizing that social investment is key to ending violence.

Colombia's police fire tear gas as hundreds of thousands of protesters rally against the US-backed government of Ivan Duque.

Venezuela launches military drills along the border with Colombia in an effort to prepare for any foreign invasion, amid rising tensions with Bogota.