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Headlines : InternationalWas the U.S. Involved in Killing the FARC-EP Leaders?
There is a distinct possibility that the United States may have been involved in the actions leading up to Comandante Ríos’ death. U.S. Special Forces and Marines have been illegally engaged in counter-insurgency campaigns within the country of Colombia for years. Even though the legal number of US troops cannot exceed 800 state forces (and 600 private forces), thousands have been operating in campaigns against the FARC-EP. For example, Peter Gorman published that as far back as 2002 roughly 1,100 US counter-insurgent troops were on “orders to eliminate all high officers of the FARC”. This does not even highlight what possible actions private U.S.-based contradicted counter-insurgent forces may be carrying out.
[Posted By ShiftShapers]Republished from CounterPunch
While virtually every country in Central and South America, including the Caribbean, has waged in on the debate of the Colombian state conducting an illegal military campaign within Ecuadorian sovereign territory, resulting in the deaths of various high ranking officials in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC-EP), the United States have remained virtually silent. Such silence from the US is quite perplexing considering the administrations of Ronald Regan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have wielded a twenty-two year old assault on this insurgency movement.
The United States have deemed the FARC-EP to be, what it considers, a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Therefore, would one not expect, during the so-called ‘war on terror,’ some attention from Washington – other than a few sentences by state officials – following the deaths of both Comandante Raúl Reyes and Comandante Iván Ríos within less than six days of each other; two of the seven highest-ranking members of the organization (lest we forget the hourly visual barrage of images related to the capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003 or his execution in 2006). The following makes a case that the United States’ silence…
Posted by ShiftShapers
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Latin American Crisis “Made in the USA:” One would never guess that Washington had any role in the bloody events on the Colombian-Ecuadoran border. The Bush administration portrays itself-and is largely portrayed by a compliant media-as a selfless champion of democratic values and faithful ally of the people’s of the southern hemisphere.
It’s an election year and the Hispanic?Cuban vote in the U.S. is always a consideration.
While most here consider anyone from south of the border simply to be “Mexicans” a significant percentage of aliens residing and employed in the U.S. hail from Central and South America.
The very last thing this administration wants to do at this point is admit its interest, responsibility and long term support of the actions of the Columbian military/government or revive the public memories of past U.S. support for such extremist regimes in Central America, such as El Salvador.
Besides, Hugo is looking good on this one.
Why cast anymore limelight on the situation?
Peace,
Bush lashes out at Chavez
OPEN QUOTE
Bush also reaffirmed his support for the Alavaro Uribe
END OF QUOTE
Poor Boosh is on a mission to somehow play down what his puppetmasters have done to the heart of the global economy.
The Fall of the American Consumer
Bush lashes out at Chavez
Aljazeera coverage won’t have much impact on the U.S. electorate.
Shame.
Are you saying that consumers of corporate mass media have not been told that Bush lashed out at Chavez?
I just noticed that Doha trashed Uribe’s name.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Peoples Army (FARC-EP): The Cost of Unilateral Humanitarian Initiatives: The war-scare is over, differences have been papered over, the leaders have returned to their palaces, but Raul Reyes has not been forgotten – at least not in the countryside of Colombia or in the hearts of its peasants.
US Air Base Tied to Colombian Raid on FARC Camp
MANTA, Ecuador – Military and diplomatic sources see a link between the Manta air base, operated by the United States in Ecuadorean territory, and this month’s bombing raid by Colombia on a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuador.
The U.S. air force was granted a 10-year concession in 1999 to use the base, located in the port city of Manta on Ecuador’s northern Pacific coast, in its counter-drug trafficking activities in the region.
A high-level Ecuadorean military officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, told IPS that “a large proportion of senior officers” in Ecuador share “the conviction that the United States was an accomplice in the attack” launched Mar. 1 by the Colombian military on a FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) camp in Ecuador, near the Colombian border.
FARC’s international spokesman Raúl Reyes and 24 other people were killed in the bombing raid, which prompted Quito to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia, although ties were restored several days later.
Ecuador seeks OAS role in raid row: Ecuador has said it will take the issue of the killing of one of its citizens during Colombia’s March 1 attack on a rebel camp inside its territories before the Organisation of American States (OAS).
Officials Allege US Aided Ecuador Raid: Senior military sources in Ecuador are drawing a link between the Manta air base, which is operated by the United States in Ecuadorean territory, and this month’s bombing raid by Colombia on a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuador.
Ecuador: Manta Air Base Tied to Colombian Raid on FARC Camp: Military and diplomatic sources see a link between the Manta air base, operated by the United States in Ecuadorean territory, and this month’s bombing raid by Colombia on a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuador.
Chavez: Colombia reviving tensions: Colombian comments defending its bombing raid on a rebel camp in Ecuador this month have revived tensions in the Andean region, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez said.
We know the US was involved. The question now is to determine if the Pentagon actually coordinated the high precision bombing attack, or if US contractors in Colombia were the ones who actually pulled the trigger on the missiles.
Is there a difference between ‘The Pentagon™’ and ‘US contractors in Colombia’, besides the obvious one of geographical distance? Are not the ‘US contractors in Colombia’ merely the local agents for The Pentagon™
I think you are correct in making that point. I only stated it that way to differentiate between planes that may “belong” to Colombia or to a private company contracted by the Colombian military, and any US aircraft that may be (ed.) operated out of Manta or other US airbases. What the Ecuadoran Air Force wants to determine is what kind of planes fired the “smart bombs” and where those planes came from and how they were supported. The US public should be asking this question too.