A pair of Colombian military helicopter gunships struck at guerrilla positions in the mountains above the rebel-held town of Tacueyo on Saturday as the government tried to wrest control of the mountainous region away from the Marxist fighters.
The engagement came amid a rebel offensive along at least a 22,5km front that indicates the insurgents feel confident enough — for the first time in more than five years — to stand their ground and confront government forces, instead of carrying out hit-and-run attacks.
While it is unclear why the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) is doing this now, an escalation of rebel violence has long been expected in an attempt to influence Colombia’s 2006 presidential elections. President Alvaro Uribe, who has waged a crackdown on the rebels, is constitutionally barred from running for re-election. But Congress is currently debating a Bill that allow him to run for successive terms.
Army officials said the Black Hawk helicopters flew to the area on a reconnaissance mission as a column of army armoured vehicles waited on a road nearby. Members of Farc fired on the choppers with Kalashnikov assault rifles and machine guns, army Major Alvaro Moya said after the operation, which lasted more than one hour.
A team of Associated Press journalists witnessed the battle along with residents of Tacueyo, an Indian village in south-west Colombia that the rebels have controlled for years. The fighting occurred no more than 800m outside the village of adobe homes.
Also on Saturday, the army battled Farc rebels in a rural area 90km south of Tacueyo, killing two guerrillas and capturing 17, said Major Victoria Alba Rodriguez of the army’s Third Brigade. The account could not be independently confirmed.
In the fighting just outside Tacueyo, the helicopters were not hit by rebel gunfire, said Moya, adding that it is impossible to know whether guerrillas were injured. Guerrilla commanders were not immediately available to comment on possible rebel casualties.
In previous Colombian military incursions, Farc rebels have temporarily retreated into the jungle. But this time, they say they plan to defend their positions in this village, where dozens of walls are painted with graffiti calling Uribe a ”fascist”.
Bernardo Penalosa, a Farc soldier watching the battle from Tacueyo’s main plaza along with alarmed residents, said the air assault will not diminish the rebels’ resolve.
As the military sprayed guerrilla positions with gunfire, a column of tanks waited for the order to move toward Tacueyo. The tanks began their journey toward the town three days ago, but their progress has been hampered by heavy rebel resistance. Long after the clash between the helicopter gunships and the rebels, the tanks stood motionless.
Bold challenge
The clashes that have occurred along the western face of the Central Cordillera of the Andes Mountains represent the rebels’ boldest challenge since Uribe was elected three years ago on pledges he would crush the 40-year-old insurgency.
The Farc on April 14 attacked the nearby town of Toribio with homemade bombs and gunfire, destroying 19 homes and stores, and killing three police officers and a boy.
The rebels said the attack was a message to the government that they will not accept the presence of police or military forces in town centres. Two years ago, a large police bunker was built near Toribio’s main square.
In Tacueyo, shop owner Jaime Rivera said he hopes the Farc stands its ground.
”If the army enters, then we will be bombed [by the rebels] just like Toribio,” he said while the rattle of machine-gun fire echoed off the adobe walls of his convenience store.
He said the Farc charges no taxes and keeps the town safe.
The Farc, created 40 years ago with the aim of overthrowing the government and bringing greater justice and opportunity to the poor, has instead been widely condemned because of its involvement in the drug trade and extortion rackets, and its reliance on frequent kidnappings.
More than 3 000 people are killed each year in the conflict, which includes right-wing paramilitary groups set up to counter the Marxists. Those groups have also been accused of drug trafficking and other crimes. — Sapa-AP