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| Colombian Aid Linked to US War on Terror |
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Posted by FoM on April 25, 2002 at 22:37:58 PT By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff Source: Boston Globe 
House Republicans, seeking to boost American military aid for the Colombian government's battle against leftist rebels and drug traffickers, sought to tie the struggle in Colombia to the US war on terrorism yesterday by charging that the Irish Republican Army was training the left-wing insurgents there. A report by the staff of the House International Relations Committee, which has a Republican majority, alleges that the IRA ''has well-established links'' with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and that the Irish group's members have been teaching FARC rebels the tactics of ''urban terrorism,'' including the use of explosives. ''In light of the long history of very strict IRA discipline against free-lancing by its membership, the only real question remaining in the committee's inquiry concerns what the Sinn Fein leadership [IRA's political wing] knew of these IRA activities in Colombia, and when did they learn of them,'' said the report, the product of a nine-month investigation. The inquiry followed the arrest in Colombia last August of three Irish nationals who, Colombian authorities said, were connected with the IRA or Sinn Fein and who were training FARC members in the use of explosives. ''What you saw was an attempt to utilize the accusations as an attempt to develop support for lifting the restrictions on our aid to the Colombian military,'' said Representative William D. Delahunt, Democrat of Quincy, who has maintained a longtime interest in Colombia and Latin American affairs. ''There was a convergence of multiple agendas. They have to make an effort to make [Colombian terrorism] appear global in scope.'' US military aid to Colombia is currently limited to combating the illegal drug trade, but Bush administration officials and many House Republicans want to let the Colombian government use the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid against the left-wing insurgents there. Delahunt said that would be a major change in US policy. A confidential staff memo to the committee chairman, Representative Henry Hyde, Republican of Illinois, was even stronger than the public report released yesterday, calling the alleged IRA members' involvement in Colombia ''a threat to US security. '' ''Events in Colombia make it clear that global terrorist networks are interchangeable, aggressive, and know no boundaries or borders,'' said the April 15 memo, obtained by the Globe. The memo recommended that Hyde ask the State Department to formally declare the IRA a terrorist organization. Hyde backed off the idea the night before the hearing, said a Democratic lawmaker involved in negotiations with the chairman. The IRA released a terse statement yesterday saying it had ''sent no one to Colombia to train or engage in any military cooperation with any group,'' and that ''the IRA has not interfered in the internal affairs of Colombia and will not do so.'' Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, also denied the allegation that his party was aiding FARC, and refused an offer to appear before the committee yesterday. GOP lawmakers have proposed giving Colombia $538 million in aid next year but without the current restrictions that the money be used only to fight drug trafficking. The FARC and other insurgent groups are believed by both Colombian and US officials to be using drug-trafficking profits to finance their campaigns. Under questioning by Delahunt and several other committee members, both Asa Hutchinson, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Mark F. Wong, the State Department's acting coordinator for counterterrorism, acknowledged they had no direct proof that the IRA sanctioned the alleged activities of the three Irish nationals detained last year. General Fernando Tapias, head of the Colombian armed forces, told the panel that the number of Irish nationals allegedly aiding rebels may be as high as 15. The government suspected seven individuals of helping Colombian rebels; three are awaiting trial, two left before they could be detained, and two others who were released for lack of evidence, Tapias said. Note: Panel's report says IRA helped train FARC units. This story ran on page A8 of the Boston Globe on 4/25/2002. Source: Boston Globe (MA) Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Lawmakers Dispute Report Linking IRA, Guerrillas Colombia Rebels Could Be Target in Terror War Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 26, 2002 at 16:29:58 PT |
| Now lets see who is a Terrorist by our governments standards.
Terrorist = If you are a non comformist I'm sure there are more but these entered my mind. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by qqqq on April 26, 2002 at 16:20:39 PT |
| Leprechaun Very small sprites who sometimes live in farmhouses or wine cellars. They are known to aid humans and perform small labors for them. Sometimes they ask humans for supplies and furniture, for which in return they give objects which bring luck and fortune. Leprechauns are called fairy cobblers, for they make shoes for elves (but always one shoe, never a pair). They are seen quite often by humans and are described as merry little fellows gaily dressed in old-fashioned clothes; green, with a red cap, leather apron, and buckled shoes. When they finish their daily tasks, leprechauns like to organize wild feast, during which time they are referred to as cluricauns. These (often drunk) cluricauns can then be seen riding in moonlight on the back of a dog or a sheep. According to popular belief, a leprechaun possesses a treasure (usually a pot of gold) which a human may obtain if he succeeds in capturing one, which is extremely difficult. Even after capture, a person may not take his eyes off of him for an instant, for then he will vanish. Leprechauns are mainly found in Irish folklore. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by qqqq on April 26, 2002 at 16:16:39 PT |
| ..you mean that the drug war is being linked to the terror war??...What a suprize!...... Who would have thought that this would happen?............ .....And it's even more amazing to hear that Colombia has been over-run with Irish terrorists! .. They're probably those damn Leprachauns!...but at least the leprachaun terrorists are easy to spot from helicopter gunships..just look for the short guys with brite green blazers,and green tophats.. ... .ya know,,,, it just figures that those dam Leprachauns are behind all the drugs and terror..Those little bastards are hard to catch,,and they have all their assets hidden in pots of gold......I'll tell ya more in a bit [ Post Comment ] |
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