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Colombia - Army thwarts FARC rebel attack on U.S. Embassy - 1,300 missles seized
AFP via Babelfish ^ | September 11, 2002

Posted on 09/10/2002 9:04:49 PM PDT by HAL9000

"Many indices" on a plan of attack thwarted against the embassy of the United States (Defense)

Wednesday September 11, 2002 - 2h49 GMT

BOGOTA, 10 seven (AFP) - a plan of attack of Bogota by the guerrilla of the FARC with 1.300 rockets, thwarted by the army between Saturday and Monday, could have also aimed the American embassy in Colombia, according to "many indices'" in this direction, revealed Tuesday evening with the AFP a high source of the ministry for Defense.

1.300 rockets of 120 mm, like their tubes of launching, had been seized Saturday by the Army in a deposit of Bogota, in the western district. Monday, a ton of explosives intended for these rocket launchers was discovered in a room of the south-east of the capital by the police force.

"We let us not have the formal proof of it, but of many indices give rise to think that this plan aimed also the American embassy", this source indicated, which required anonymity.

"the objective of the revolutionary Forces armed with Colombiemarxistes) aimed at a series of public buildings, shopping centres and places of great popular multitude", had announced to Tuesday morning colonel Gustavo Becerra, commander-assistant of the 13th military brigade, without mentioning the American diplomatic buildings, nor the date planned for this offensive.

The public ministry, contacted by the AFP, had revealed Tuesday morning that photographs and plans of the embassy from the United States in Bogota had been discovered at the time of the searchings at the origin of the seizures of rockets and explosives Saturday and Monday. Two militiamans of the FARC were stopped by the authorities at the time of this investigation.

Questioned on this threat supposed allotted by the army to the revolutionary Forces armed with Colombia (FARC, Marxists), a spokesman of the embassy of the United States was satisfied to answer to the AFP which the diplomatic mission "did not comment on the topics connected to its safety".

According to colonel Becerra, the attack planned by the guerrilla against Bogota with 1.300 rockets, each one of a weight of 10 kg, was to be made by the same commando at the origin of the launching of fifteen identical machines close to the presidential palate on August 7 in the capital, during the nomination of the new head of the State, Alvaro Uribe, a man with comes up decided to subdue the rebels.

This bloody offensive had made 21 died and 70 wounded. One of the rockets had struck a cornice of the palate, but without wounding any of the 600 guests to the ceremony, including five heads of State.

"you should accentuate the location of gringos (note: nickname of the Americans in Latin America), where that they are, because they the war (...), and you declared us must also fight them ", had ordered with its troops Jorge Briceno, commander military of the FARC, according to the contents of listenings carried out by safety, and diffused by local televisions after this attack.



TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: colombia; farc
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1 posted on 09/10/2002 9:04:50 PM PDT by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000
Perhaps connected to Al-Queda?
2 posted on 09/10/2002 9:30:48 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"you should accentuate the location of gringos (note: nickname of the Americans in Latin America), where that they are, because they the war (...), and you declared us must also fight them ", had ordered with its troops Jorge Briceno, commander military of the FARC, according to the contents of listenings carried out by safety, and diffused by local televisions after this attack.

Try to get the American's says it !

3 posted on 09/10/2002 9:32:38 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Perhaps connected to Al-Queda?

Maybe. Or just a wannabe al-queda with an axe to grind. Either way, just torture them for intel and then kill them. If we wanted to be humanitarian, we could tell them "Have a Nice Day", and then kill them. This would be OK with me.

4 posted on 09/10/2002 9:36:54 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham
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To: HAL9000
1300 120mm rockets and launching tubes is a pretty heavy cache for your run of the mill third world marxist terrs.

The new C-Bo Pres has his work cut out for him. Time to unleash the reigns on the paras a bit.

JMHO.
5 posted on 09/10/2002 9:41:24 PM PDT by wardaddy
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Perhaps connected to Al-Queda?

That's a reasonable question, but there are rumors of FARC connections with the Irish Republican Army. And 23 illegal Chinese immigrants bound for the U.S. were rounded up in Colombia last weekend, so there are many possibilities.

6 posted on 09/10/2002 9:50:51 PM PDT by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000
That is a lot of weaponry, just like the stuff they find in Afghanistan, volume wise!
7 posted on 09/10/2002 9:53:00 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: HAL9000
The IRA is active in training them.
8 posted on 09/10/2002 10:02:01 PM PDT by doug from upland
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To: HAL9000
Thanks for the post, I'm living in Bogota and hadn't heard this news yet. The new government is getting serious about stopping the FARC, but they're going to need a lot of help.
9 posted on 09/10/2002 10:14:10 PM PDT by el_tigre
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To: HAL9000
From what I can gather from that- it sounds almost like they're talking about mortar shells- 120mm mortar shells.
10 posted on 09/10/2002 10:24:04 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: Prodigal Son
From what I can gather from that- it sounds almost like they're talking about mortar shells- 120mm mortar shells.

I think they're talking about one of those old truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers.

"Stalin's Organs"...you know, every time there's a WWII Eastern Front documentary, the things you see volleying off zillions of rockets in a few seconds. I forget how many tubes a typical one has, something like 32 or 80 or something.

Totally unguided but you don't want to be where they hit.

People are forgetting it's possible for violent terrorists to have no connection to Al Quaeda at all; somehow people feel better if it's all one organization, though, for some reason.

11 posted on 09/10/2002 10:31:08 PM PDT by John H K
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To: John H K
If it's what I think it is, could be a BM 21 or something like it:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/bm-21.htm

Those are 122mm rockets, however.
12 posted on 09/10/2002 10:35:33 PM PDT by John H K
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To: John H K
Err, Forget all my BM 21 crap..you're right of course..mortar shells and mortars.

I missed the "10 KG" weight in the story. Only thing they could really be are mortar shells and I suspect that's what a 120mm mortar shell weighs. A BM 21 rocket weighs a hell of a lot more than that.
13 posted on 09/10/2002 10:43:28 PM PDT by John H K
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To: John H K
OK ;-)

Seriously, it's hard to get through the translation. Mortars sound close to me and it was actually the combo of tube size and weight that made me think so but I might still be wrong. 1300 mortar rounds is still quite a little stash for a rebel group it seems to me. But one thing about mortar rounds- they're relatively cheap.

Actually, I'm starting a Spanish course next week. Maybe soon I will be able to read that article for myself!

14 posted on 09/10/2002 10:50:21 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: HAL9000
OCTOBER 1998 : (COLUMBIA, VENEZUELA, FARC, TERROR INTERNATIONAL, EGYPTIAN TERRORIST, AAL) Interpol arrested Egyptian extremist Mohamed Enid Abdel Aal, in Bogota, Colombia. Abdel Aal, a leader of one of the most dangerous of the Islamist terrorist organizations, told authorities under questioning that "he planned to stay in Colombia for a few days and then head to Venezuela over land.” (El Nuevo Herald, Sept. 16, 2001) There is additional information that indicates that the Colombian territory under FARC control has become a haven for Terror International. Argentine journalist Julio Cirino, an expert on international terrorism, has written about the existence of a logistical support base "in a small city near the Colombian border with Venezuela,” where "Middle Eastern types” receive fake Colombian passports and move on to other unspecified destinations.

APRIL 2000 : (COLUMBIA, FARC) Columbia - The FARC terrorist group announced a 10% tax on those people or enterprises with assets that exceed $1 million, non-payment could result in kidnapping. The 'tax' gave them a profit of at least $110 million, according to Columbian police. http://www.csis.org/hill/ts010403cilluffo.htm

SEPTEMBER 2000: (COLUMBIA, FARC, BOMB & CHEMICAL ATTACK) A FARC bomb that burned out the lungs of an entire police garrison in the Colombian town of San Adolfo contained chlorine-based poison gas, according to a lab analysis of the device.

AUGUST 2001: (COLUMBIA, CUBA, IRA, FARC, ELN) Colombian authorities arrest three suspected IRA terrorists who had provided specialized training to the FARC terrorist organization. One of the men, Nial Connolly, had lived in Cuba since 1996 as the IRA’s representative.(The Times, August 16, 2001, BBC News August 17, 2001) It is believed that it was in Cuba where the IRA established contact with both the FARC and ELN terrorist organizations. These two organizations, according to the State Department’s 2000 report on global terrorism, have "…maintained a permanent presence in the island." It is further believed that the IRA men were training the Colombian rebels in the development of powerful anti-personnel explosives destined for the proposed FARC ‘urban offensive.’

AUGUST 11, 2001 : (COLUMBIA, IRA, FARC, CUBA) Colombian officials arrested three members of the IRA as they returned from a part of the country controlled by the narcoterrorist group FARC. Two were explosives experts and the third, Niall Connolly, has been identified as Sinn Fein's Havana representative.

15 posted on 09/10/2002 11:03:02 PM PDT by piasa
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To: Prodigal Son
Actually, I'm starting a Spanish course next week. Maybe soon I will be able to read that article for myself!

You can click the article link to get the original untranslated version (in French).

16 posted on 09/10/2002 11:14:13 PM PDT by HAL9000
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To: doug from upland
The IRA is active in training them.

Exactly, doug- these creatures "share"- intelligence, resources, training, safe houses:

The Web of Terror

Castro, the Carribean, and Terrorism

17 posted on 09/11/2002 1:50:32 AM PDT by backhoe
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It has been reported in the media that the Colombian rebels are being trained by Jerry Adams bunch from the IRA!
18 posted on 09/11/2002 5:02:10 AM PDT by OldFriend
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To: wardaddy; Cincinatus' Wife; JohnHuang2
Yep. And it doesn't hurt that the most prominent member of the AUC leadership is a friend of ours who has helped us in the past. Carlos Castano deserved much better treatment than what he got from the diplo-weenies at State.
19 posted on 09/11/2002 5:44:02 AM PDT by hchutch
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To: hchutch
I knew Victor Caranza years ago. He was an owner of Muzo. An unsavory fellow yet honest with me I must confess. He absolutely hates commies. I think he is on our terrorist list because of his leadership role in AUC and his connections with coca.
20 posted on 09/11/2002 8:45:01 AM PDT by wardaddy
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