Colombian Strategies and Operational Concepts Used in Today's Counterterrorism Warfare
Abstract
Colombia has experienced internal conflict since 1949. The assassination of a political leader, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, initiated an era of violence between the traditional political parties. In 1964, the first guerrilla movement was officially established under the name of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). FARC, a Marxist-Leninist communist movement, would influence the destiny of the country. Other communist armed movements, such as the National Liberation Army, would emerge later. In 1994, a new armed movement called the United Self Defense of Colombia was formed. This group was created by a part of the population to protect themselves from the guerrilla's kidnappings and extortion, but later became illegal because of their use of illegitimate force and drug trafficking. The illegal groups that were initially established as insurgent guerrillas or self-defense organizations soon became narco-terrorist organizations. They began indiscriminate terrorist attacks against military forces and against the civilian population and the country's infrastructure. Today these illegal groups finance their activities with drug production and trafficking. Colombia's President, Alvaro Uribe Velez, the military, and the police have worked together to implement strategies and operational concepts that have dramatically influenced the internal conflict in Colombia. Even though terrorist threats have not been eliminated altogether, they have diminished considerably. Key terrorist leaders have been killed in combat and their followers are no longer as large a threat to Colombian democracy as they were in the past. The lessons learned from the Colombian government's fight against terrorism may benefit other governments facing similar threats.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 12, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA501756
Entities
People
- Juan C. Correa
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College