Colombia intercepts Ecuadorean military helicopter

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia said on Monday authorities had intercepted an Ecuadorean military helicopter violating its airspace before it fled back over the frontier in the latest incident to test frayed ties between the neighbors.

Relations between Bogota and Quito are tense after a Colombian military raid killed a FARC rebel commander inside Ecuadorean territory earlier this month in an attack that sparked a regional crisis and a brief military build up.

Colombia's government said the Ecuadorean aircraft was intercepted by two Colombian Blackhawk helicopters and forced to land before it took off, evaded attempts to guide its crew to a local airport and crossed back over the frontier.

"Once back in the air, the Ecuadorean helicopter, escorted by two Colombian helicopters, descended without warning, turned south and failed to obey instructions given by Colombian authorities," a presidential statement said.

The charge came after Ecuador sued Colombia on Monday in the International Court of Justice in The Hague over Colombian anti-drug fumigation along their frontier, which Quito says has damaged legitimate crops and the health of local farmers.

In a March 1 raid on a rebel camp inside Ecuador, Colombian forces killed Raul Reyes, a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC rebels. Bogota apologized, but said Ecuador had failed to combat guerrillas on its territory.

After the raid, Ecuador and left-wing ally Venezuela withdrew their ambassadors from Colombia and sent troops to their frontiers before the three countries reached an agreement at a summit in the Dominican Republic a week later.

Violence from Colombia's four-decade-old conflict has ebbed as President Alvaro Uribe has sent troops to retake areas once under FARC control. But Ecuador and Venezuela often say Colombia has not stopped violence spilling over its borders.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey in Bogota, editing by Todd Eastham)