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| Bogota Steps Up Jungle Offensive |
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Posted by FoM on August 24, 2001 at 23:24:11 PT By Martin Hodgson in Bogota Source: Guardian Unlimited 
Thousands of Colombian troops have been flown to the eastern jungles to hunt down and destroy a battered column of 1,500 guerrillas. It is the latest of a series of offensives coinciding with reports that Washington is growing impatient with President Andres Pastrana's attempts to make peace with the leftwing rebels. The operation, begun a few days before a US diplomatic mission arrives in Bogota, demonstrates the army's growing confidence and capacity, due mainly to US-made helicopters and extra military aid from Washington. Helicopters dropped 6,000 troops along a river dividing Guaviare and Meta statesto try to stop the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrillas reaching the demilitarised zone which Mr Pastrana ceded to coax them into peace talks in 1998. "This will end in a massive guerrilla surrender, if we don't bring them back in body-bags first," the operation commander, General Carlos Fracica, said. "Only when the rebels are annihilated will we leave the region." The Farc column marched out of the demilitarised zone in late July, planning to attack towns and military bases towards the Venezuelan border. On August 10 the guerrillas attacked the village of La Cooperativa, destroying dozens of house with their gas-cylinder mortars. But two days later they army responded with one of its biggest operations in recent years. After two weeks of heavy fighting, the guerrillas are thought to have split into smaller units in an attempt to reach the safe haven. Deserters say they are scattered throughout the jungle, and running low on ammunition and food. The army has dropped leaflets calling on them to surrender. Earlier this week a further 1,000 rebels emerged from demilitarised zone to cover the retreating column, only to be intercepted by helicopter gunships equipped with night-vision sights. Television news broadcasts have included infra-red footage of the rebels being cut down by machine-gun fire and cluster bombs. On Wednesday senior state department officials will lead the first US diplomatic mission to Bogota since President George Bush took office. Washington is apparently growing impatient with Farc's military use of the haven, which is twice the size of Wales. US and Colombian officials say that the peace talks have practically ground to a halt and Farc is using the demilitarised zone to train terrorists, imprison kidnap victims, and launch offensives. The Americans were particularly angered by the arrest last week of the three suspected IRA members accused by the army of training Farc in urban guerrilla tactics and bomb-making. Talks with Colombia's second biggest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN) were suspended earlier this month. The New York Times quoted a senior White House official on Thursday saying there was "no reason to believe" that there would be a substantive deal with either group in the near future. There is increasing speculation that Washington is pushing Mr Pastrana, who leaves office in a year, to take a tougher stance with the rebels. The Clinton administration approved nearly £700m in mostly military aid, on the condition that it was strictly for anti-narcotics operations and not counter-insurgency. None of the troops trained under the aid package, known as Plan Colombia, are involved in the current fighting, and officials said the Black Hawk helicopters being used were bought from Washington, not donated. But on Tuesday a senior defence department official voiced doubts about the US focus on fighting drugs but not - officially - the rebels. "I think we as a country are not quite sure where we are heading," an assistant secretary of defence, Peter Rodman, said, adding that there was concern about getting deeper into a conflict. "Is it just narcotics, or is there some wider stake we may have in the survival of a friendly democratic government?" Note: Bush follows US impatience with peace strategy. Source: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK) Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Colombia's Peace Bid at Risk Clock Ticking on Colombian Leader's Peace Efforts U.S. Delegation To Support Colombia Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #6 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on August 25, 2001 at 08:40:20 PT |
| >>Television news broadcasts have included infra-red footage of the rebels being cut down by machine-gun fire and cluster bombs.<< Not MY television news, here deeply ensconced in Babylon... Not unless that's what Gary Condit is talking about, since that's about all I've seen dominating the news this week. No war footage. Does anyone have a link to any website carrying audio/video media on this subject? [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by lookinside on August 25, 2001 at 07:43:44 PT:
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| wild stuff...a twisted war, run by a twisted government,using twisted media spinners and then crying in horror cuz the latter ain't quite honest...hmmmm...what's wrong with this picture? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by The GCW on August 25, 2001 at 05:19:24 PT |
| Thank you for pointing out that second link!!! I passed it by... The media in the Columbian War has been sold!!!!!!!!!!! I never would have thought there was a FORMAL means of selling the media LIKE THIS. You get extra d points for sharing that with us. So let me get this straight: America is killing humans in Columbia for growing plants, which God gave us and said are good, on the VERY 1ST PAGE of the Bible. And we will use American technology to suppress info that brings light on the subject. America is like an irresponsable child while our Father is away. OUR FATHER MAY NOT BE WITH THE KILLERS, BUT IS FULLY AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON. FATHER KNOWS AMERICA BETTER THAT WE DO. THIS CAN NOT PLEASE CHRIST GOD, WHICH LEAVES ONLY THE EVIL TO BE PLEASED. GOD COMES 1 st! IN THE END THERE WILL BE NO EVIL! KILLING GOD'S CHILDREN FOR GROWING PLANTS! The Bible speaks of plants from the very 1st page to the very last page! The Bible IS WRITTEN IN GREEN! It seems to indicate that it is all going to come down to plants. THE GREEEEEEN COLLAR WORKER. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by poindexter on August 25, 2001 at 01:16:42 PT |
| "....Now we are seeing the desparate scramble to innihalate any.." a tragic spelling error occured,,,,,...:annihilate... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by dddd on August 25, 2001 at 01:04:45 PT |
| ...of Ass. Press master media propaganda,,is here; http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1559/a01.html?397
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1559/a02.html?397 ddddisturbed [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by dddd on August 25, 2001 at 00:15:24 PT |
| ....Now we are seeing the desparate scramble to innihalate any and all targets.....the Columbiam military,with all its state of the art American toys,,is obligated to make a slaughter or two, ,,before the "delegation" arrives......Notice how this has been led up to in the major media....Glorious victories against the evil FARC must be produced in order to fabricate a justification for further massive embezzelments of US taxpayers cash,by the bloated American DrugPig empire. I think there will be massacres of considerable proportions by the Colombian military.They are armed to the teeth with a spectacular array of US firepower,,,and they are expected to use it.
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