Congress Approves Doubling U.S. Troops in Colombia to 800

[bemildred]

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, Oct. 10 - 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.

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Lifting the Congressionally mandated limits on troops and contractors, a little-noticed measure in the 5,000-page Pentagon authorization bill, is seen by some political analysts and rights advocates as a major step toward even larger American troop commitments. In the months before the passage by the United States in 2000 of Plan Colombia, a $1.3 billion antidrug initiative, members of Congress hotly debated whether involvement in Colombia could lead to a Vietnam-like quagmire.

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In 2003, American soldiers trained 22,831 Latin American troops and police officers, 52 percent more than in 2002, said a report released last week by three Washington-based policy groups, the Center for International Policy, the Washington Office on Latin America and the Latin America Working Group Education Fund. In Colombia, nearly 13,000 troops received American training, up from 6,477 in 2002.

NY Times

[dave123williams]

1. Brilliant; let's get emeshed in ANOTHER civil war.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. Yeah

so we can prop up a fascist mob. Did anyone vote against this abomination?

[IndianaGreen]

3. Clinton was the father of Plan Colombia, while Bush is its evil stepfather

Plan Colombia has nothing to do with narco-trafficking, which was the reason given by its champions, but it is an attempt to squash a popular insurgency against the ruling class in Bogota.

[Ohio rules]

5. what did we get for that $1.3 billion antidrug initiative in 2000?

Did the cocain stop flowing north yet ?

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't think we had any extra battalions.

I guess we really can fight two wars at once. Good job, Rummy.