Because I never even try to understand anything by myself, I asked one of my trusted Colombian friends to explain the events in Guaitarilla to me. My friend replied: “Guaitarilla? SURE!!!”
Here is my friend’s explanation, complete with an unsolicited and very nice comment. And this story ain’t over, either…
The news in Colombia, everywhere, all media had only one thing to talk about: Guaitarilla. Initially the story is that accidentally at dawn, an army patrol unexpectedly met with a GAULA police team (special forces) and confused them with FARC terrorists and shot them, killing all of them. The Police commander gave this very version on all media. 4 civilans were killed with the 7 policemen. According to this high officer, the 4 were either narcotraficantes or insurgents captured by the police. The army gave a different version and contradicted the police. According to army officers, the GAULA had nothing to do in that area, they did not inform the army about this and that lack of coordination led to the problem. The initial report from the attorney general’s office comes out and the forensic report shows that the victims were shot inside their vehicles, at short distance and that their bodies were moved out of the cars to make them look as though they had been shot outside!
In other words, they were massacred at point-blank range.
Then, a witness shows up, seeking protection. He is an active policeman from the same GAULA unit who was not on duty that day, but who “decided” to accompany the group’s rounds from his own vehicle and was keeping contact with them through his car radio. He was the brother of one of the civilians killed (allegedly criminals according to the National Police Comander).
His brother, he said, was not a criminal, neither were the other civilians, but paid informants of the more than 1 million that Uribe has called the “million friends”. [[NOTE from Justin: this is the network of civilian informers Uribe promised in his election]]
In fact, locals have informed that GAULA does regular rounds with support from informantes in the area because there are drug laboratories in the region. The rounds are to “vaccinate” (get money from, extort from) the drug processing operation. The army intercepted them knowing they had money (and cocaine, as this is better payment) and attempted to have these goods transfered to the soldiers from the Police. The witness said (it was everywhere in the news) that his brother called him to say, we are being stopped by an armed group, stay behind til I tell you what is happening. The next communication was, it’s OK, come over, it’s just army people. We are alright. The man says he was scared and decided no to come closer and then he heard the shots, round after round and ran away only to discover later that his brother and the entire group had been massacred.
This caused a scandal. Even fairly right wing columnists and liberals (Maria Jimena Duzan) commented on their editorials (El Tiempo) that the corruption within the armed forces had gone beyond the wildest nightmare. Everyone wanted the truth. Too many cases of accidents, massacres, confessions, corruption etc. This had to be clarified. The truth had to come out.
Uribe moved swiftly to promise a full report and resolution “punishing those responsible” within a week. The fact is the cover-up is evolving and now “evidence” will point at a “mistake”. A specific commander or two might be destituted for mis-communicating and end of story…..OR IS IT?
Nobody swallows the lies now. The army is irreparably discredited, not because they are corrupt assasins, crooks connected to drug trade and theft of all types, but mostly because they have done things in a way such that everyone knows the truth AND THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. They have to learn to lie better, especially if they are to win the US’s dirty war and advance not only in controlling the whole country through a paramilitary regime lead by a paramilitary president, but because Colombia and the Colombian army of paras and soldiers and policemen are to lead (under the command of General Hill), the attack on Venezuela. So, a clean up is required so that private deals are not tolerated, institutional corruption is well administered and dirty war managed through official lies only.
THERE YOU HAVE IT. tHE FUTURE OF THIS CONTINENT IS BEING WRITTEN IN COLOMBIA AND FEW GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT. ESTABLISHED LIES, A FASCIST DRUG RELATED PARAMILTARY-CORPORATE GOVERNMENT REGIME AND FULL GUIDANCE FROM us GOVERNMENT, SOUTHCOM AND STATE DEPT. Freedom or free trade through horror. Want a cut on the deal? Easy, write in favour of Uribe, Bush, Plan Colombia, the armed forces and against Venezuela and you are in!!! They need people desperately, especially since types like you keep telling the truth!!!
