Posted on 03/06/2008 10:13:53 AM PST by StJacques
Telephone Call from Chavez to "Reyes" Allowed Colombians to Locate FARC Camp
Elpais.com.co-EFE
A telephone call that the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, would have made to the guerrilla leader "Raul Reyes,"1 permitted location of the encampment, according to reports from Colombian intelligence, RCN Radio divulged today.
The telephone call took place Wednesday the 27th of February, the day in which four Colombian Congressmen (Gloria Polanco, Luis Eladio Pérez, Orlando Beltrán, Jorge Eduardo Gechem), kidnapped for almost seven years, were liberated.2
"Chavez, emotionally moved by the liberation of the kidnapped prisoners, called Reyes (alias of Luis Edgar Devia) and told him that everything had gone well," RCN broadcast while citing "high Colombian military sources."
Intelligence services traced the call and detected that Reyes was in Colombian territory near the border with Ecuador, he [then] crossed it "and soon afterwards the bombing came," Friday night and early Saturday morning, when the rebel leader and some twenty other guerrillas were taken down.
According to RCN, "the same intelligence official -- who expressly requested anonymity -- said that there is no end to the irony that it has been a call of President Chavez which permitted us to take Reyes down."
Of equal importance, the source revealed that the supreme chief, founder, and leader of the FARC, Manuel Marulanda Vélez, more commonly known as Tirofijo,3 "has taken refuge in Venezuela."
The intelligence services also "have established that (Tirofijo) is ill" and "he has taken refuge on a Venezuelan farm, not near the border, [but] on the other side of the border with the (Colombian) Department of Norte de Santander."
The RCN sources also broadcast that "Chavez ordered the transfer of battalions to the border to protect Tirofijo in order to avoid doing with him in Venezuelan territory what they did with Reyes in Ecuador."
They added that "if they are mobilizing troops (in Venezuela and sending them to the border) it is for protecting Tirofijo," the source said.
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Translator's Notes:
1 "Raul Reyes" was the alias of Luis Edgar Devia, previously 2nd in command of the FARC until killed by Colombian troops at his FARC encampment in Ecuador this past Monday.
2 The FARC currently hold dozens of high-profile hostages, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three American defense contractors, who they are using as bargaining chips to secure the release of FARC prisoners jailed in Colombia. They also hold an untold number of lower-profile hostages that may go into the hundreds.
3 "Tirofijo" is a nickname that roughly translates to "steady shot." Marulanda has been the leader of the FARC from its inception in 1964.
Looks like there are other benefits to busting up FARC leadership, since that raid may well be where we got the intel to bust up this worldwide arms network:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981446/posts
[quoted from NY Times article]:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/world/europe/07dealer.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
BANGKOK — One of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and of pouring huge arms shipments into Africa’s civil wars with his own private air fleet, was arrested by Thai authorities in a hotel here Thursday. His capture was prompted by a tipoff from the United States in connection with the procurement of weapons for the Colombian FARC rebels.
The Justice Department said that federal prosecutors in New York would unseal criminal charges against the arms dealer, Viktor Bout, 41, and one of his associates later Thursday, charging them with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Such a step would mean that American prosecutors think it likely Mr. Bout will be brought to the United States to stand trial.
Mr. Bout, who is wanted by the police in many countries, is a former Soviet Air Force officer. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, he built a network of air cargo companies in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the United States, according to the United States Treasury,.
United Nations reports and other investigations have concluded that Mr. Bout may have run the world’s largest arms-smuggling network. Peter Hain, a former British minister for Europe, who investigated the arms-for-diamonds trade, has called him “Africa’s chief merchant of death.”
Been saving that one. Fortunately with a donkey like Hugo, one doesn't have to wait very long.
Whatever happened to that cute video where somebody wrote a song with "Porque . . . " as the refrain?
Great story!
Monkey boy has to be the dumbest dictator there ever was.
Good catch! I just saw that story breaking. There’s gotta be a connection.
I wonder if this string of events has anything to do with President Bush’s demeanor these days...I’ve noticed that he has seemed much more relaxed these past few weeks. ;-)
(muted trumpet): waa - waa - waa - waaaaaaaaaaaa
An English language version of the story.
http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/03/05/en_colcd_art_alleged-chavezs-cal_05A1410439.shtml
A phone call Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez allegedly made to rebel leader Raúl Reyes revealed the location of the guerilla leader, according to Colombian intelligence reports radio station Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN) disclosed on Wednesday.
The phone call was made last Wednesday, February 27, the day when the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) delivered four former Colombian lawmakers -Gloria Polanco, Luis Eladio Pérez, Orlando Beltrán, and Jorge Eduardo Gechem- to Chávez’s government after almost seven years in captivity, Efe reported.
“Chávez was thrilled by the release of the hostages, and called (Luis Edgar Devia, alias Raúl) Reyes to tell him that everything went well,” said RCN, quoting “senior (Colombian) military sources.”
Intelligence agencies detected the call and uncovered that Reyes was in Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. He crossed the border and “then the raid was launched” late February 29 and early March 1, when the FARC leader and other 20 rebel troops were killed.
According to RCN, “the same intelligence agent, who called for anonymity, said ‘it is quite ironic that it was precisely a phone call from President Chávez what allowed us to take Reyes out of action.”
Reyes died in a bomb attack Colombian troops launched against his rebel camp in Ecuadorian territory. The incident ignited a serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries, as Quito severed ties with Bogota.
Quoting the same intelligence source, RCN reported that the top leader and founder of the FARC, Pedro Antonio Marín, also known as Manuel Marulanda Vélez and Tirofijo, “is taking shelter in Venezuela.”
RCN added that the Colombian intelligence services “found that Tirofijo is ill” and “is taking shelter in a ranch in Venezuela located not very close to the border, but to the other side of the border with the Colombian department of Norte de Santander.”
According to RCN’s intelligence source, “Chávez ordered military battalions to move to the border with Colombia to protect Tirofijo, to prevent him from being done in the Venezuelan territory the same thing Reyes was done in Ecuador.”
Please add me to your list again.
Gracias,
cll
Thanks for the ping. Hugo is so arrogant it probably never even occurred to him that it was necessary for him to take security precautions. What a jerk.
Oh an English teacher.
please add me to your Ping list I follow everything Colombian.
Thanks,
Recon Dad
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23316749-12335,00.html
US played role in rebel strike Bogota | March 04, 2008
US intelligence played a central role in a strike against rebels in Ecuador that triggered a regional crisis, Colombia says.
The action against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which killed its number two leader Raul Reyes, has triggered a military stand-off in the region, with Ecuador and its ally Venezuela ordering troops to mass on their Colombian borders.
Colombian officials said US intelligence was involved in the weekend strike.
Colombian police chief General Oscar Naranjo said it was no secret his country’s agencies have “a very strong alliance with federal agencies of the US”, but did not specify which ones.
The raid on Sunday was an “autonomous operation” that relied on information from several sources, he said.
A highly placed official in the Colombian defence ministry said it was a US intelligence agency which first told Bogota several weeks ago Reyes was sporadically using a satellite telephone, whose signal could be pinpointed.
“The US handed over the identification of the satellite telephone to (Colombian) police intelligence units, which in turn processed the information and was tasked with finding the location of the telephone,’’ the official said.
“There were also informants.”
Once police located the satellite phone, Gen Naranjo told Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos so he could co-ordinate the operation, the official said.
“The US did not participate directly in this information, but its help was vital in leading us to the site where Reyes was.”
Reyes, real name Luis Edgar Devia, 59, was killed along with 16 other rebels and one Colombian soldier. He was considered the right-hand man to 77-year-old FARC leader Manuel “Tirofijo” (”Sureshot”) Marulanda, and his likely successor.”
Apparently a couple of Reyes’s laptops were liberated after the attack. No wonder Castro’s clone was so upset this past week or so.
My friend the ex-SEAL said radio intercept was one of their prime missions in Columbia. He said the Colombian SOF’s are pretty salty also, they get a lot of “practice”.
Got you down Recon Dad.
MI Ping
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1980316/posts?page=1
Obama mentioned among documents recovered by Colombia from slain FARC leader Raúl Reyes
http://www.marthacolmenares.com/2008/03/03/hasta-obama-sale-a-relucir-en-cartas-encontradas-a-reyes/ ^ | Martha Colmenares
Posted on 03/04/2008 11:11:28 AM PST by ElCapitanAmericaLives
Article has the last “letter” from Reyes to the FARC. Below is the relevant section talking about Obama followed by my translation;
“6. Los gringos pedirán cita con el ministro para solicitarle nos comunicara su interés en conversar estos temas. Dicen que el nuevo presidente de su país será Obama y que ellos están interesados en sus compatriotas. Obama no apoyara Plan Colombia ni firma de TLC. Aquí respondimos que nos interesan las relaciones con todos los gobiernos en igualdad de condiciones y que en el caso de Estados Unidos se requiere in pronunciamiento público expresando su interés en conversar con las Farc dada su eterna guerra con nosotros.
Es todo, Abrazos, Raúl.”
6. The gringos will ask for an appointment with the minister to solicit him to communicate to us his interest in discussing these topics. They say that the new president of their country will be Obama and that they are interested in your compatriots. Obama will not support “Plan Colombia” nor will he sign the TLC (Colombian Free Trade agreement). Here we responded that we are interested in relations with all governments in equality of conditions and that in the case of the US it is required a public pronouncement expressing their interest in talking with the FARC given their eternal war against us.
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