Posted on 08/19/2002 11:00:22 PM PDT by HAL9000
Peruvian guerrilla forces regroup in the Andes
LIMA, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Remnants of the Peruvian rebel group, Shining Path (SL), have regrouped and strengthened themselves in Peru's central jungle region, reports here quoted local peasants as saying on Monday.
The guerrillas have resumed their patrolling in the Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Junin states, where they were engaged in terror activities between 1980 and 1995. The reports said the SL members have changed their approach and are now trying to win the confidence of locals who collaborate with them in their insurgency against the government.
The Peruvian army's intelligence service said about ten SL incursions have been detected this year in remote regions between the Ene and Tambo rivers, and in the Andamarca and Acobamba areas in Junin state, 350 kilometers west of the capital, Lima.
Peru's self-defense forces have also warned authorities of an increase in drug-trafficking backed by the SL and participated in by other groups from Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.
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