Congress Approves Doubling U.S. Troops in Colombia to 800
Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at 03:46PM
TheSpook
The number of American military personnel here will
double, to 800, in the coming months, based on a weekend vote in the
United States Congress. The action was welcomed by President Álvaro
Uribe's government for its fight against Marxist rebels but condemned
by human rights monitors, who warned of a sharp escalation in
Colombia's conflict. The 2005 United States Defense Department
authorization act, approved Saturday by Congress, also permits the Bush
administration to increase the number of American citizens working for
private contractors in Colombia to 600 from 400. The soldiers and many
of the contractors will, among other things, develop and analyze
intelligence on rebel movements, do surveillance and train Colombian
troops in counterguerrilla operations. [more ]
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