Paramilitary chief admits massacres carried out

[Judi Lynn]

Paramilitary chief admits massacres carried out
Monday, July 28, 2003 Posted: 1:17 PM EDT (1717 GMT)


BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Paramilitary chief Carlos Castano has acknowledged that his forces pillaged, committed massacres, extorted money and dealt in drugs, but claimed those acts were "inevitable excesses."

As fighters of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia prepare for what Castano says is their irreversible demobilization, the paramilitary chieftain posted a message on the group's Web site, seeking to justify the bloody war the group waged for two decades against Colombian rebels. (snip)

(snip) While the AUC over the years did confront the rebels in areas where governmenWt troops had scant presence, analysts have long said the rebels lacked the capacity to topple the government.

In his message, Castano said that during the AUC's campaign, "massacres were committed, we resorted to the finances of drug trafficking, we resorted to extortion, we practiced some acts of pillage and corruption." (snip/...)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/07/28/colombia.paramilitary.ap/index.html

[antineocon1]

1. Excuse my ignorance...

How is this group tied to the US. I am quite curious. And, please, excuse my ignorance. I'm new to all of this US foreign relations mishaps.

[Barrett808]

2. The US has a long history of supporting paramilitary "death squads"

in Latin America. You might want to look into "El Mozote massacre" and the Atlacatl Battalion. Google happy fellows like Roberto D'Aubuisson, Hector Gramajo, Hugo Banzer ("Banzer Plan"), Operation Condor, and School of the Americas (aka "School of Coups," School of Assassins").

There are many more. It's a depressingly long list.

[antineocon1]

3. Thanks...

I'll look into this some more. It sounds horrible.

[Barrett808]

4. Horrible, yes. And on a scale that's simply unthinkable.

One of the best references is:

Blum, William, Killing Hope: U. S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1567510523/qid=1059428475/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-6976203-7027954?v=glance&s=books)

originally released as:

The CIA: A Forgotten History: Us Global Interventions Since World War 2

New revision coming out soon, apparently:

Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II—Updated Through 2003

[antineocon1]

5. Thanks again...

This needs to be stopped.

[Barrett808]

7. Many times I've thought the same thing, but

it continues to this day, after more than 50 years of US-sponsored atrocities.

And, to add insult to injury, men who are complicit in these crimes now represent us to the world, esp. the notorious Otto Reich and our Ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte.

Will there never be justice?

[LoneStarLiberal]

6. AUC, FARC, ELN

The AUC fights the FARC and ELN.

Clear? Hardly!

The AUC got their start running protection for rich Colombians and evolved into running protection for rich Colombians and protecting coca production, then evolved into running protection for rich Colombians, protection coca production, and slaughtering peasants.

In our government's eyes, the AUC is the more effective lesser of three evils, the other two being the inept and outgunned Colombian government and the rebels (FARC and ELN).

[lfairban]

8. US supports Colombian anti-rebel groups.

Meanwhile, the White House is currently seeking congressional support to allow U.S. military aid to Colombia to be used directly against leftwing rebels. Military aid is currently restricted to counter-narcotics operations.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/07/0257252&mode=thread&tid=45

On the other hand, they are on the record as being against the AUC.

In an effort to diminish the ties between military and paramilitary officers, U.S. legislation granting military assistance to Colombia specifically stipulates that the Armed Forces of Colombia must sever all links to the AUC in order to receive U.S. aid.

http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/auc.cfm

See also:
http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.cfm?orgid=91

[Judi Lynn]

9. Interesting information in this article

To crush the poor

First it was Reds, then drugs, then terror. So who have the US really been fighting in Colombia?

George Monbiot
Tuesday February 4, 2003
The Guardian

Last week, on the day George Bush delivered his state of the union address, the Pentagon received a visitor. A few hours before the president told the American people that "we will not permit the triumph of violence in the affairs of men", General Carlos Ospina, head of the Colombian army, was shaking hands with his American counterpart. He had come to discuss the latest instalment of US military aid.
General Ospina has done well. Just four years ago he was a lieutenant-colonel in command of the army's fourth brigade. He was promoted first to divisional commander, then, in August last year, to chief of the army. But let us dwell for a moment on his career as a brigadier, and his impressive contribution to the war against terror.

According to Human Rights Watch, the fourth brigade, under Ospina's command, worked alongside the death squads controlled by the paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño. In a report published three years ago, it summarises the results of an investigation carried out by the attorney general's office in Colombia. On October 25 1997, a force composed of Ospina's regulars and Castaño's paramilitaries surrounded a village called El Aro, in a region considered sympathetic to the country's leftwing guerrillas. The soldiers cordoned off the village while Castaño's men moved in. They captured a shopkeeper, tied him to a tree, gouged out his eyes, cut off his tongue and castrated him. The other residents tried to flee, but were turned back by Ospina's troops. The paramilitaries then mutilated and beheaded 11 of the villagers, including three children, burned the church, the pharmacy and most of the houses and smashed the water pipes. When they left, they took 30 people with them, who are now listed among Colombia's disappeared. (snip/...)

ETC.,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/colombia/story/0,11502,888496,00.html

[dArKeR]

10. This story doesn't report on American support and training of Castano

Oppose military aid to Columbia
http://csf.colorado.edu/forums/labor-rap/current-discussion/msg00336.html

[lfairban]

11. Here is another more recent article from Counterpunch.

July 12, 2002

A 1996 Human Rights Watch report documents the fact that the Colombian military armed and assisted these groups and, under the guidance of the CIA, integrated them into its intelligence networks.

http://www.counterpunch.org/donahue0712.html

More at Human Rights Watch:
http://www.hrw.org/americas/colombia.php

[Judi Lynn]

12. How can the morally bankrupt misadministration get by with this?

From your link,
http://www.hrw.org/americas/colombia.php


(snip)"The Bush administration has consistently argued that it couldn't hold up aid to the Colombian military over its collusion with human rights abusers. Now, it turns out that they're perfectly willing to suspend aid, but only when countries like Colombia resist granting immunity for possible crimes against humanity. This sends a perverse signal about American priorities," Vivanco said.

Absolutely vile.

Thanks for posting the links. :hi: