The Americas Post - A demonstrator's poster shows how many years each hostage has been held by FARC guerrillas. Photo Credit: AFP

FARC guerrillas on Wednesday postponed releasing six Colombian soldiers held for over a decade, claiming that the area where the prisoners were to be freed has been occupied by government troops.

“The area we had chosen for the release of prisoners of war captured in battle has been unfairly militarized by the Government of Colombia, which forces us to defer the operation,” the rebel group said in a statement released on the internet.

The FARC, weakened by a military offensive supported by the U.S. but still able to execute high-impact attacks, announced in December the release of six of the 11 Armed Forces personnel held for more ten years, but the delivery has not yet been finalized.  Late last year other hostages were killed by rebels during combat with the Army,  which had discovered FARC encampments in the jungle.

President Juan Manuel Santos questioned the position of the FARC, considered by U.S. and European Union as a terrorist organization and said the government did not know the hostages were in that area.

“By God, no more tricks and deceit.  We do not even know where the hostage are. They have not given coordinates. Release them now,” Santos said through his Twitter account.

However, the Armed Forces admitted operating throughout the country in fulfilling the mission of pursuing the illegal armed groups.

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón, accused the rebel group of playing with the hostages and their families as part of a strategy to gain political prominence nationally and internationally and clean up its criminal image.

“These people once again demonstrates the lies they tell and how deeply and permanently they play with the Colombian people,” said the official.

The guerrilla organization have held up to 60 hostages at times, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans, who they sought to exchange for imprisoned guerrillas.

But many were rescued by the Armed Forces and others escaped or died in the jungle. Some have been released by the FARC in phases during recent years.

“As soon as the insanity that has gripped Nariño Palace (the Presidency) abates, we will make a new attempt for you to receive those who will be released,” added the FARC.

Luis Alberto Cabrera Sarabia, alias “The Architect,” was killed Friday during an air and ground operation in Canatlan, Durango state. The action began with a firefight at a ranch, army spokesman general Ricardo Trevilla announced at a news conference.

According to Trevilla, he was “one of the main lieutenants of Joaquin Guzman Loera alias ‘El Chapo.’”

Another gunman died in the raid and 11 others were arrested, Trevilla said. Three soldiers were also wounded.

The army said Luis Alberto Cabrera Sarabia took over as assistant to the fugitive head of the Sinaloa drug cartel after his brother, Felipe Carbrera Sarabia or “The Engineer,” was detained in December.

The northern states of Durango, Sinaloa and Chihuahua are known as the “Golden Triangle,” a key area of production of Mexican opium and marijuana.

The CIA Director visited La Macarena in the state of Meta, center of Colombia. He met with the Defense Minister and Military Commanders of the Colombian Armed Forces.

Colombia’s government today praised U.S. support for strengthening systems of technical (Sigint) and human intelligence (Humint)  in the fight against illegal organizations like FARC operating in this South American country.

“With the support of the U.S. government we are strengthening our systems of technical and human intelligence,” said Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón, through a statement.

He added that “there must be no place in Colombia where terrorists and criminals can hide undetected.”

Minister  Pinzon and Director of the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) United States, Gral. David Petraeus, visited La Macarena last Friday in the southern province of Meta, one of the areas where the illegal groups and drug traffickers operate.

With these meetings Colombia “will continue to strengthen cooperation ties between the two countries and strengthen the commitment to continue fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crime,” said the Defense Ministry statement.

The Americas Post - FARC may be weakened but they can still mess up your travel plans

Air operations in a wide region of southwestern Colombia were delayed on Saturday following an attack by FARC guerrillas against a radar antenna system key to commercial aviation, said that nation’s Civil Aviation authority.

One policeman was killed in the attack by the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) launched on Friday night above Santa Ana, in the department of Cauca.  He had been guarding aviation facilities, officials said.

“Aeronautical communications in the southwest of the country have been disrupted temporarily by a terrorist attack against civilian facilities”, said a statement from Civil Aeronautics.

Although the FARC have been weakened by a military offensive bringing death to several commanders and the desertion of thousands of its fighters, the attack proved that the rebel group still has the capacity to carry high-impact operations.  The guerrillas fired homemade missiles, gas cylinders filled with explosives, and attacked troops stationed in the area with bursts of rifle and machine gun fire.

The radar damaged by the attack covers 300 kilometers and not only controls commercial flights,  but also supports the armed forces against drug trafficking in the southwest airspace.

“Repairing the radar will take several months.  We do not know whether to reduce the number of flights, but there will be delays, “said the director of Civil Aeronautics, Santiago Castro.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has demanded that the FARC release all hostages, suspend hostilities and lay down their weapons for negotiations, conditions that the guerrillas have rejected as a surrender.  He called the attack on the radar installation affecting thousands of travelers “the ultimate demonstration of weakness and despair” by the guerrillas.

The Americas Post - Unless it's your job to do so, you probably shouldn't look inside that car

Mexican officials report that almost 13,000 people were killed in violence blamed on drug cartels between January and September of 2011.

That would bring the death toll to 47,515 since President Felipe Calderon launched his offensive against drug traffickers at the end of 2006.  Officials claimed the 11% rise in murders was slower than in previous years, but with presidential elections in July, violence is set to be a key issue for voters.

This week, Mexico’s Federal Attorney General’s office (PGR) released data showing 12,903 people killed in drug-related violence during the first nine months of 2011.  The first official statistics released since January 2011, they came in response to multiple freedom of information requests filed during the last several months.

The PGR claimed that the 11% rise was “a significant decrease” on previous years.  In 2009-2010, murders climbed 70%; 2008-2009 had a 63% rise and there was a 110% increase in 2007-2008.  But with the 2011 figures running just until September, the final total could surpass 16,000.

The PGR pointed out the violence was concentrated in just 25% of Mexico’s states.  Security improvements have been achieved in some areas, such as the border city of Tijuana.  Ciudad Juarez, also on the US-Mexico, remains among the most violent cities with 1,206 murders, although that was half of the approximately 2,500 killings the year before.  However, experts say the decline in killings may be the result of one cartel exerting overall control rather than specific success by the military or police.

Last year also brought drug violence to previously calm areas, such as the Gulf port city of Veracruz.  The capital, Mexico City, has remained relatively untouched.

On Wednesday however, two decapitated bodies were discovered inside a burning vehicle outside an upscale mall in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Mexico City.  Two heads were placed in front of the car.

The government mentions that Mexico’s murder rate remains below that of several neighbors, including Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Venezuela.

The Americas Post - Colombian troops disembarking on the Caguan River are not there to talk

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday rejected the possibility of reopening peace talks with that country’s FARC leftist rebels, until the group takes concrete steps towards ending 50 years of combat.

His reaction came one day after FARC leader Rodrigo “Timochenko” Londoño suggested terms for resuming negotiations, which were frozen a decade ago.  Those proposed topics included privatization, environmental protection, the free market and military doctrine.

“We don’t want more rhetoric; the nation asks for clear peaceful deeds”, Santos tweeted in response.

The oldest active guerrilla group in Latin America has been weakened in recent years by a US backed military offensive that has taken the lives of several FARC commanders and caused thousands of rebel desertions.  Although they have retreated to the mountains and jungles, FARC fighters are still capable of staging effective attacks, including against Colombia’s oil-producing infrastructure.

Santos has demanded that the guerrillas free hostages, suspend attacks and lay down their arms.  FARC leaders have rejected those conditions but left open the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

Failed peace negotiations between 1999 and 2002 took place in the Caguan region, a demilitarized zone measuring twice the size of El Salvador.  During those talks the rebels did not cease combat operations, and the Colombian armed forces accused them of using the area as a base for attacks, arms trafficking and drug smuggling.  For many Colombians, the zone proved the FARC’s unwillingness to put an end to the long war that has cost the country so much blood and money.

“You can forget about a new Caguan”, Santos said.

The Americas Post - Drug trafficking accusations are no obstacle for the Chavez administration

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this week appointed a new defense minister, described by the United States as a “drug kingpin” involved in cocaine smuggling from next-door Colombia.

“This good soldier, this humble soldier … this fighter for the people, today I publicly designate him as the new defense minister of the Republic,” Chavez announced while naming General Henry Rangel Silva to the post.

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Rangel and another top Venezuelan officer of supporting narcotics trafficking operations by Colombian FARC guerrillas.  Both men denied any connection.

President Chavez  has repeatedly denied U.S. accusations that his government has turned a blind eye to drug trafficking.  He in turn accuses the United States of being a decadent empire that exploits developing countries.

The Venezuelan leader is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in the next few months to allow several of his current ministers to run in regional elections later this year.

Sharing a long border with Colombia, Venezuela has become a transshipment point for Colombian cocaine en route to consumer nations.  Chavez suspended cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005 when he accused its agents of spying and violating Venezuelan sovereignty.

He claims his administration has invested millions of dollars in anti-narcotic operations, pointing to the extradition of accused druglords to Colombia and an increase in drug-related arrests as proof of Venezuela’s efforts.

Diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the United States have been icy for years, in spite of the fact that South American nation still provides nearly 10 percent of US fuel imports.

In September, Washington accused four close Chavez allies of providing arms to FARC rebels in Colombia, a charge which Venezuela described as “abusive.”

The Americas Post - Apparently you don't need to be tall to burn down a casino

Police in Mexico have arrested an alleged member of the Zetas drug cartel for masterminding  a casino fire that killed 52 people in the northern city of Monterrey, authorities said Friday.