President Alvaro Uribe flew to southwest Colombia to oversee a counterattack against leftist rebels on Sunday, a day after 25 soldiers were killed in attacks across the country that shattered hopes that the insurgents were nearing defeat. More than 1,000 troops backed by helicopter gunships hunted down several hundred rebels believed to be heading for the nearby Ecuador border to seek refuge, the army said. "The murder of our soldiers pains us greatly," Uribe said after meeting with military commanders in Puerto Asis, some 330 miles southwest of Bogota. "But to make concessions to terrorism or to bow to terrorism undermines democracy," he said. Uribe added that he intends to discuss the situation along the border with Ecuadorean authorities.