*United States Sends Combat Commanders to Colombia* [image: Print]<http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/3646-united-states-sends-combat-commanders-to-colombia?tmpl=component&print=1&page=#> Written by Susana PImiento and John Lindsay-Poland Monday, 21 May 2012 15:43
Source: Fellowship of Reconciliation <http://forusa.org/> U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff commander General Martin Dempsey visited Colombia on March 29 to announce that within weeks U.S. military personnel will operate from a military base there with the newly formed Vulcan Task Force. The Vulcan Task Force<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=67718>, which was established in December 2011, has 10,000 soldiers, three mobile brigades and one fixed brigade, operating from a base in Tibú, in the Catatumbo region (North Santander), just two miles from the Venezuela border. On April 15, presidents Obama and Santos met during the Americas Summit and agreed on a new military regional action plan<http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/04/187928.htm>that will include training police forces in Central America and beyond. The announcement cited Operation Martillo, by which U.S. and Colombian forces have participated in operations this year against criminal elements on the coasts and interior of Central America. The presence of U.S. soldiers on the military base in Tibú was presented by General Dempsey as an effort by the United States to support Colombia in its fight against drug trafficking and the insurgency. According to Dempsey, the Pentagon plans by June to send U.S. brigade commanders with practical experience in Afghanistan and Iraq to work with police and army combat units that will be deployed in areas controlled by the rebels. Dempsey said that U.S. military personnel will not participate in combat operations in Colombia. The Wall Street Journal reported<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303816504577312833410895546.html>that Colombia has established its own version of U.S. joint special operations commands that carry out hunt-and-kill missions - operations for selective killings that have included U.S. citizens accused of having ties to Al Qaeda. With these special commandos, Colombia hopes to reach its goal of reducing the FARC guerrillas by 50% in two years. U.S. participation in such an aggressive military campaign would undercut prospective attempts to negotiate a settlement of the armed conflict, which has increasing support<http://www.viva.org.co/cajavirtual/svc0300/articulo02.html>in Colombia. The campaign, which apparently does not target successor paramilitary groups, is also likely to benefit those groups, which continue to commit human rights abuses, engage in drug trafficking, and operate in more than 400 municipalities in 31 Colombian states, according to a report by the Institute for Study of Development and Peace, INDEPAZ<http://www.indepaz.org.co/?p=1245> . The Journal also cited statements by Southern Command chief General Douglas Fraser at a March 12 hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee expressing concern about the strengthening of diplomatic relations between Iran and the governments of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The expansion of counterinsurgency forces in Africa and Latin America is also part of a new national security strategy released by the White House in February. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said<http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/operations/219249-dempsey-dod-pushing-more-forces-into-south-america>that the new strategy introduces innovative methods for supporting counter-terrorist forces and expanding the United States influence on the two continents. Joint Task Force Vulcan is led by Brigadier General Marcolino Tamayo Tamayo, who in 1985, when he was a lieutenant, participated in the operation to retake the Palace of Justice<http://www.colectivodeabogados.org/IMG/pdf/Radicado_11_001_07_04_003_2008_00025_09-_Sentencia_segunda_instancia.pdf>in Colombia. Similar joint task forces<http://www.canalrcnmsn.com/noticias/las_fuerzas_militares_tendr%87n_cuatro_nuevas_fuerzas_de_tarea_conjunta>have been created in Tumaco, Nariño; Miranda, Cauca; and Tame, Arauca --------------- Santos rejects rebel attack on soldiers <http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24145-santos-responds-to-deadly-farc-attack.html> Tuesday, 22 May 2012 06:13 Brandon Barrett Tags: - Armed Conflict<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/armed-conflict.html> - Farc <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/farc.html> - Farc Attacks<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/farc-attacks.html> - Hugo Chavez <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/hugo-chavez.html> - Juan Manuel Santos<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/juan-manuel-santos.html> - Maicao <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/maicao.html> - Venezuela <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/venezuela.html> <http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcolombiareports.com%2Fcolombia-news%2Fnews%2F24145-santos-responds-to-deadly-farc-attack.html&title=Santos%20rejects%20rebel%20attack%20on%20soldiers> [image: Armed Conflict] President Juan Manuel Santos<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/profiles/9075-profile-juan-manuel-santos.html>addressed the nation Monday following a FARC <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/farc.html> ambush that killed 12 Colombian soldiers near the border with Venezuela. "These 12 heroes of our country deserve all the recognition of the government and the country. But this war will go and we will be on the offensive. We will be on the offensive so we can achieve our goal of bringing peace to this country," Santos said from a press conference<http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2012/Mayo/Paginas/20120521_01.aspx> . The Colombian army's 1st Brigade was attacked during their patrol outside the city of Maicao, the second largest urban center near the border of Venezuela. FARC rebels reportedly used machine guns, rifles and explosives killing 12 soldiers and wounding four others. The head of state extended his condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers. "These 12 heroes of the homeland, an officer, a sergeant and ten soldiers killed in combat, fought until the last minute in a battle that lasted over an hour. We have survivors who fought with everything they had, with courage, as they have been taught. Our condolences to the families of these heroes who gave their lives for peace in Colombia<http://colombiareports.com/>, for the security of Colombians," he added. President Santos stated his intentions to increase the offensive against the country's largest guerrilla organization. Colombian security forces dealt two major blows to the rebel group in March<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23169-farc-has-suffered-2-historic-blows-santos.html>in seperate offenses that killed 75 guerrillas. "The FARC are now reacting to the effectiveness of our forces," said Santos, adding that he asked top military and police commanders "to continue doing effective intelligence and combat(...) because we will not lower our guard." A Colombian Air Force report<https://www.fac.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=72898>said the wounded were airlifted to a hospital in Maicao. It also underscored that the military has also increased their presence in the area, hoping to catch FARC's 59th Front who they say were responsible for the "cruel attack." Yusti Lopez, Secretary of the Government of Maicao, pointed out that the area bordering Venezuela "where a soldier was killed earlier this year," has been a hotspot for fighting recently. "We are concerned because there are civilians in the area and they may end up being displaced due to the fighting," he added. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez responded to to incident on the country's national television station VTV. "Starting this morning we have strengthened aerial patrols [...] because we want to reinforce our position: we will not permit incursions by armed forces of any nature into Venezuelan territory." Chavez was accused of sheltering and aiding the FARC by previous Colombian President Alvaro Uribe<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/profiles/20404-alvaro-uribe.html>. Relations between the two countries have improved under current President Juan Manuel Santos. -------------- ELN says 'extreme right' is to blame for Bogota bombing <http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24143-colombian-rebel-group-says-qextreme-rightq-is-to-blame-for-bogota-bombing.html> Monday, 21 May 2012 16:42 Sarah Kinosian <http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcolombiareports.com%2Fcolombia-news%2Fnews%2F24143-colombian-rebel-group-says-qextreme-rightq-is-to-blame-for-bogota-bombing.html&title=ELN says 'extreme right' is to blame for Bogota bombing> [image: Alvaro Uribe] Colombian rebel group the ELN<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/eln.html>claimed Monday that the extreme right is to blame for last Tuesday´s bombing in Bogota<http://colombiareports.com/travel-in-colombia/bogota.html>that targeted former minister Fernando <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/fernando-londo%C3%B1o.html>Londoño<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/fernando-londo%C3%B1o.html>and killed two people while injuring dozens more. In a statement released on its website, the insurgent group said that this attack did not cause surprise and makes the implementation efforts of the extreme right´s fighting strategy rather clear. On May 17, Londoño accused the FARC<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24099-londono-points-finger-at-farc-after-bogota-bombing.html>of fastening the explosive device to his armored car using magnets or another adhesive material, a method never before seen in Colombia<http://colombiareports.com/>. It pains me that the FARC<http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/farc.html>put to use this new technique of terror, said the former Interior Minister under ex-president Alvaro Uribe<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/profiles/20404-alvaro-uribe.html> . The ELN <http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/eln.html>'s statement went on to say that the attack was further proof that it does not bother the far right to fight against their associates in power, when it comes to forwarding their interests, they will sacrifice their own. The statement is in reference to right-wing paramilitary group's infiltration into Colombian political life. Hundreds of politicans have been accused of receiving political and financial backing from paramilitaries while dozens more have been arrested. The rebel group also noted Uribe has called a lot of attention to notions that the FARC were responsible for the attack, while sitting President Juan Manuel Santos<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/profiles/9075-profile-juan-manuel-santos.html>has yet to point a finger. Uribe has been accused by extradited AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso<http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23991-paramilitaries-financed-uribes-reelection-mancuso.html>of accepting funds from the paramilitary group to finance his 2006 reelection. Generating these types of facts to intensify the environment when political events do not fit into blind schemes ( ) is not something new, it is not the first time that it has happened, nor will it be the last," the ELN's statement said. According to sources, Londoño, who was discharged from the hospital Friday night after spending five days recovering from a lacerated lung and ruptured eardrum, will soon return to hosting his daily news and opinion radio show, "The Hour of Truth." 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