U.S. Military Aid

     David Crow described the Colombian scene from the outside. Mario Vinasco gives us an insider's view of David's "interesting article":
     "The aid package could actually bring much needed help to the army to control rebel attacks and therefore decrease violence. Most rebel attacks as well as paramilitary's happen because there is no way for the army with only 40,000 troops to patrol the country. Most of the time simultaneous attacks occur, where 200 rebels ambush or surprise 10 or 15 police men in a remote village, or they come down to main roads, block them for one hour or so and take hostages. The army needs more technology to surveil the country, better training and more transparency that will come attached to the package; a better army will deter rebel attacks and the publicity and leverage they get from this terrorist acts; guerrillas have no popular support, I lived in a small village in Colombia and people are scared of them."

Ronald Hilton - 3/7/00