Posted on 08/10/2005 8:42:07 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
There's an old Army saying that wars are won by enlisted soldiers, not generals.
So when U.S. Army South invited countries from the Caribbean and Central and South America to send senior enlisted personnel for four days of training in San Antonio, many accepted the offer.
About 70 military officials from 18 countries are at Fort Sam Houston this week for the first conference of its kind, comparing notes on combat operations, riot control and other topics of mutual interest.
And they were reminded Tuesday that the war on terrorism is indeed global. Islamic extremists have long been suspected in a 1992 Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that killed 29 people and injured 250.
"They've proved they can actually commit terrorist acts in our area," José Aponte, an intelligence expert with Army South, told the group.
Lines that separate drug gangs from terrorism are often blurred, but both are security threats, said Col. Douglas Raymond. Gangs aren't political, he said, "until they find that a political agenda is encroaching on their activities."
Such is the case in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, where gangs fighting for control of drug routes have killed dozens of people this year, including a police chief.
"They are trying to create an environment where they can operate their illicit activities with impunity," Raymond said as delegates heard his words translated into Spanish.
The 18th Street Gang, formed in Los Angeles in the 1960s, and Mara Salvatrucha, known as MS-13, which began in the 1980s, have an estimated 100,000 to 130,000 members throughout Central America.
Both groups have wreaked havoc in the U.S. and drawn the scrutiny of U.S. Homeland Security. Last week, federal officials announced the arrest of 582 alleged gang members, targeting some 80 violent groups, including the 18th Street and MS-13 gangs, which have been linked to violent street crimes across the country.
Even nations whose armies lack a strong enlisted corps sent delegates to San Antonio so they could return as advisers on gangs, said Army South Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel R. Wood.
Since the only thing separating gangs from terrorism is the core motivation — gangs focus on profit, and terror cells have religious or political motives — terrorism is being discussed at the conference, Wood said.
The command invited most of the 30 countries in its area of responsibility, the ones with good U.S. relations, to the conference. Countries represented are Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad/Tobago and Uruguay.
Mexico and Venezuela were invited but did not participate.
Ecuadorian Sgt. Maj. José Matute said the conference would help his country guide "the professional development of our soldiers."
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shuddleston@express-news.net
Mexico and Venezuela No Show Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
The big question. Did they go back home?
Don't think the training is over yet, Cindy.
Terrorists Ping!
Oh well. Just thinking ahead:')
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