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Caribbean-Latin America |
Colombian Soldiers Arrested in Arms Trade |
2006-01-07 |
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Two Colombian soldiers have been arrested for giving weapons to leftist rebels - their main battlefield enemy - in exchange for cocaine, the Attorney General's Office said Friday. The soldiers belonged to a criminal ring that included fighters with the country's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the prosecutors' office said. The two face charges of conspiracy to commit crimes including the trafficking of arms and drugs, the statement said. At least six other people linked to the gang have also been arrested since early September, some of whom may be FARC members. Army troops have on various occasions been accused of providing weapons and operational equipment to right-wing paramilitary groups that also fight against the rebels. It is less common for the military to be implicated in trafficking weapons to the FARC, which frequently attacks the army and other government troops. |
Posted by:Steve White |