Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered his military to send troops and tanks to the border with Colombia, after Bogota killed a leading rebel. Speaking on his weekly television show, President Chavez also said Venezuela's embassy in Colombia would close. Mr Chavez said Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was a "criminal". He said the killing of Raul Reyes, a top commander of the left-wing Farc rebels, just inside Ecuador on Saturday was a "cowardly murder".
Mr Chavez has been mediating with Farc to secure the release of hostages the rebels hold, and six have so far been freed under this initiative.
But he lamented the killing of Reyes - whom he called a "good revolutionary" - and at least 16 other Farc rebels when he spoke on his show, "Alo, President".
"It wasn't any combat. It was a cowardly murder, all of it coldly calculated," Mr Chavez said.
| Unlike, say, kidnapping and killing 3rd parties for ransom, no es verdad? |
Mr Chavez addressed his defence minister, asking him to "move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately" - a deployment likely to involve several thousand soldiers.
| For me. ME!! Where's my white stallion, just like Bolivar?? |
| Sounds good to me - that's a couple subversive SOBs out of the country. |
| Hugo, you tease - you always promise but you never perform. |