Santos tells Colombian military to 'get tough' with rebels

[Zorro]

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President Juan Manuel Santos Friday vowed to step up a military crackdown on leftist rebels after they killed 14 police officers and three soldiers since he took office on August 7.

"The order I've given military and police commanders is to get tough, get tough, get tough!" Santos said after a cabinet meeting.

"We can't let our guard down. We must confront terrorism with everything we've got," he added, vowing to continue the crackdown on insurgents his predecessor Alvaro Uribe launched in 2002 and which he spearheaded as Uribe's defense minister from 2006-2009.

Santos, 59, spoke in southern Caquete department, where the latest rebel attack on Wednesday took the lives of 14 police officers when their patrol vehicle was blown up by a land mine.

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More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100903/wl_afp/colombiaunrestrebelspolitics_20100903233848