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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Colombian forces pot 22 Farc rebels |
| 2010-09-21 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Colombian security forces say they have killed at least 22 Farc rebels in fighting near the Ecuadorean border. Police commandos were dropped by helicopter after air force planes bombed a rebel camp in the jungle. The fighting in the Putumayo region happened near the town of San Miguel, where eight policemen died in a rebel ambush earlier this month. President Juan Manuel Santos said it was "the biggest blow in recent times" to the left-wing rebel group. He said the operation was a sign of how he would respond to the war strategy of the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). The president succeeded Alvaro Uribe when he won a clear victory in a run-off election in June this year. During his election campaign he had pledged to continue the tough security policies of his predecessor, who left office with high approval ratings after years of hard-line policies against the rebels. Speaking after Sunday's raid in Putumayo, Mr Santos said he had given "clear orders" to the security forces to "continue giving these kind of blows without treaty or quarter". He also thanked the government of Ecuador for supporting the operation, saying better co-operation was improving security along the frontier. Farc rebels have stepped up their violent campaign since president Santos took office on 7 August. Although a senior Farc leader has said the group is prepared to negotiate a settlement, more than 40 security personnel have been killed so far this month in a series of rebel attacks and ambushes. Analysts say the raids may be intended to force the government into peace talks. But Mr Santos has said he will not negotiate with the rebels until they release all their hostages and stop attacks. The Putumayo region is a traditional stronghold of the Farc, as well as a major cocaine-producing area. Both the Farc and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN) were severely weakened by the tough security policies put in place by Mr Uribe. Colombia's relations with Ecuador were severely strained under President Uribe after the Colombian armed forces attacked a Farc camp inside Ecuadorean territory in 2008, killing the senior Farc commander, Raul Reyes. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Colombia's relations with Ecuador were severely strained under President Uribe after the Colombian armed forces attacked a Farc camp inside Ecuadorean territory in 2008, killing the senior Farc commander, Raul Reyes. And recovering intelligence that Venezuela and Ecuador were supporting the FARC and their narco-traficante hangers-on. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-09-21 11:16 |