Pubdate: Sun, 29 Sep 2002
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Copyright: 2002 San Antonio Express-News
Contact:  http://www.mysanantonio.com/expressnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/384
Author: Andrew Selsky, Associated Press

U.S. TO EXPAND ROLE IN COLOMBIA

MIAMI - American troops will train Colombian soldiers and police to help 
them take control of a region of the country crawling with rebels and 
paramilitaries, a senior U.S. military officer said.

The training by U.S. special forces is part of a larger American effort to 
help Colombia battle insurgents who have waged war in the South American 
country for 38 years.

U.S. military aid has focused on stemming the flow of cocaine and heroin 
from Colombia and depriving rebels and their paramilitary foes of drug 
profits. But the United States now plans to directly help Colombia attack 
the outlawed groups.

"Our approach to Colombia recognizes that the problem in Colombia is much 
more than drugs," Army Brig. Gen. Galen Jackman said. "The problem there is 
basically a crisis of governance, where the Colombians are not able to 
provide a safe and secure environment."

Jackman laid out details of the new U.S. plan in a rare encounter with 
journalists at the headquarters of the U.S. Southern Command on Friday. 
Congress is preparing to provide about $95 million more to train and equip 
two Colombian army brigades.

As part of the move, U.S. officials are scrapping a presidential directive, 
imposed by former President Clinton, that permits the United States to 
share intelligence with Colombia only when it deals with drug trafficking, 
Jackman said.

Under Presidential Directive 73, if U.S. officials traced a satellite phone 
call by a rebel leader planning an attack, they couldn't share the 
information with the Colombian army to help capture him, even though the 
rebels are deeply involved in cocaine trafficking. The Americans could 
share the phone trace with the Colombians only if it relates to drugs.

That stipulation is expected to be dropped in a new version being written 
by the Bush administration.

"We need to treat (the rebels and paramilitaries) as they are, which are 
terrorist organizations ... and we need to help the Colombians deal with 
those organizations," said Jackman, the Director of Operations for the U.S. 
Southern Command.

Starting in October, U.S. special forces are expected to begin training the 
Colombian Army's 18th and 5th Brigades in specialized warfare to protect a 
pipeline that carries oil owned by Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum 
and hunt down rebels who have attacked it, Jackman said. They will also get 
U.S. combat helicopters.

"I think these brigades that we're talking about will be very offensively 
oriented - that is focused on the enemy as opposed to static defense around 
the pipeline," Jackman said.

U.S. troops also will train Colombian National Police, Jackman said.

The U.S. military trainers will operate in an area where rebels have 
attacked the Colombian army and police repeatedly. Jackman said the safety 
of the U.S. troops is "a concern" but that the Americans will be well 
protected.

Jackman stressed that there are no plans to involve U.S. forces in combat 
in Colombia, nor to raise the troop cap from the current level of 400.

"I think this is a lesson that we learned out of Vietnam. This is the 
Colombians' war to win," Jackman said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth