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This weekend, I watched the breaking news reports from Southern California with a mixture of shock, disbelief and anger. On Saturday night, what had been a gathering to celebrate the Lunar New Year in a Los Angeles suburb became the scene of a massacre. By Sunday, President Biden had issued a statement, noting: “While there is still much we don’t know about the motive in this senseless attack, we do know that many families are grieving tonight, or praying that their loved one will recover from their wounds.” I am from Monterey Park, Calif. I am struggling to process a...

Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi is well known now for the abuses he has inflicted on his own people during more than four decades of brutal rule in Libya, but few remember the vast campaign of carnage and terrorism he orchestrated across West Africa and Europe when he was at the height of his powers. Nor are his more recent alliance with Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and his long-standing relationship with Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua -- both of whom are busy trampling their constitutions and moving toward dictatorship -- well understood. And the fact that all three governments support the Revolutionary Armed...

War: A Spanish court has charged Venezuela with collaborating in a terrorist plot to assassinate President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia. That's an attempt on a top U.S. ally, and calls for a hard response. If it's not predator-drone time, it's time to name Venezuela as a state sponsor of terror. What came to light Monday isn't the first time Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has been caught aiding terrorists, but it may well be the most egregious. Spanish Judge Eloy Velasco named a Venezuelan government official as a key link between 12 FARC and ETA terrorists who were indicted in a 2003...

HP-1353 "Treasury Designates Additional FARC International Commission Members" SNIPPET: "Washington, DC--The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated three international representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a narco-terrorist organization. The OFAC action was taken pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), which applies financial sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and organizations, like the FARC. "Today's action exposes three additional members of the FARC's International Commission," said Adam J. Szubin, Director of OFAC. "The FARC is one of the world's largest suppliers of cocaine and continues to be...

Official: Laptop reveals ties to Ecuador By ALEJANDRA LABANCA New documents a Colombian government official says were retrieved from the computer of slain guerrilla leader Raúl Reyes show FARC's ties in Latin America may be more widespread than previously reported. Some of the documents, obtained by The Miami Herald, indicate that a leading member of Ecuador's constitutional assembly, charged with reshaping that country's political landscape, may have been a longtime supporter of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. María Augusta Calle -- also the head of Venezuela's Telesur TV network in Ecuador and a supporter of President Hugo Chávez --...

Terrorism: The March 1 death strike by the Colombian army against FARC warlord Raul Reyes broke open a trove of contacts in his computer. So why did the name of Barack Obama turn up there? [...] In a Feb. 28 letter, FARC chieftain Raul Reyes cheerily reported to his inner circle that he met "two gringos" who assured him "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 (Free Trade Agreement)." Aside from some interesting possibilities about who these "gringos"...

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia sought to ease rising tensions with Ecuador on Sunday by saying its March 1 military raid into its neighbor's territory was carried out against a rebel camp used to launch terrorist strikes. The statement from conservative President Alvaro Uribe came after Ecuadorean complaints that one of its citizens may have been killed in the raid that targeted No. 2 FARC rebel leader Raul Reyes.

The combat fatigues dangled from a branch 100 feet above the jungle floor - a testament to the ferocity of the bombardment that turned this remote, mosquito-ridden corner of the Amazon rainforest in northern Ecuador into an international flashpoint last week. The same missiles that blasted the uniform high into the jungle canopy gouged deep craters out of the rust-red earth and cut a wide swath through the vegetation. They also claimed the lives of at least 24 rebels and supporters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), including Raul Reyes, deputy commander and public face of the guerrilla...

Terrorism: The March 1 death strike by the Colombian army against FARC warlord Raul Reyes broke open a trove of contacts in his computer. So why did the name of Barack Obama turn up there?Admittedly, it pales compared with other material from the dead thug's computer — such as FARC efforts to obtain uranium or Hugo Chavez's $300 million support. But the little Obama reference within the 15 FARC letters released by the Colombian government signals a disturbing pattern of contacts with rogue actors. It's not the first time, and Obama has yet to distance himself. In a Feb. 28...

WASHINGTON -- These are tough times for terrorists and the despots who back them. On Jan. 28, Abu Laith al-Libi, No. 3 in al-Qaida, was killed by a missile strike in Pakistan. Two weeks later, Lebanon's Hezbollah terror chieftain, Imad Mughniyah, met his demise in Damascus, Syria, when his car exploded. Then March 1, Raul Reyes, second-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was killed in Ecuador. Three days later, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, the al-Qaida "mastermind" of the 1998 attacks on our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, was killed by a missile strike in Somalia. Despite...

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...

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A single laptop can reveal much, and so it is with the digital treasure chest that Colombian commandos found in the jungle quarters of slain rebel leader Raul Reyes. Files in the computer seized in Saturday's raid into Ecuador that claimed the lives of Reyes and 23 of his comrades offer an intimate portrait of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's desire to undermine Colombia's U.S.-allied government. If authentic, the documents show that sympathies Chavez first aired publicly in January grew out of a relationship that dates back more than a decade. But Chavez is not one of...

BARACK OBAMA Bizarre: Was a Slain FARC Leader Meeting 'Gringos' About Obama? Dear readers, take this most curious item with appropriate caution and skepticism, until it can be verified. Having said that... for a moment, let's assume this translation of a letter found on FARC terrorist leader Raul Reyes' computer is accurate. The letter is reportedly from Reyes to "members of the FARC Secretariat." The link is to an English-language version of El Universal, a major Venezuelan newspaper based in Caracas, and reportedly the letter was published published in Spanish by El Tiempo, described as the highest circulation daily newspaper...

As Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador prepare to have their armies make a run for the borders, Alvaro Uribe accused Hugo Chavez of funding the terrorist organization FARC. In its lightning raid across the Ecuadorian border to strike at FARC’s leadership, the Colombian army captured some critical intelligence at the camp of FARC leader Raul Reyes. Included in that was a thank-you note from Chavez for an earlier contribution to his own cause: Colombia’s police chief, Gen. Oscar Naranjo, said documents recovered from a slain rebel leader’s computer indicate Chavez recently sent $300 million to Colombian guerrillas. He said another document...

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...

Colombia's FARC guerrilla movement was trying to get hold of radioactive material to make a "dirty bomb," Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos said on Tuesday. Santos told the United Nations Conference on Disarmament that materials found on computers of Raul Reyes, the deputy commander of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), showed the group was in negotiations to get hold of radioactive matter for a bomb. (Reuters)

Terror: Some city in the world owes thanks to Colombia, which on Saturday blew away a terrorist seeking uranium for a nuclear bomb. Instead of thanks, we see only fury at Colombia over its incursion into Ecuador.Colombia's armed forces and national police performed one of the most spectacular anti-terror strikes in history, taking out FARC chieftain Raul Reyes, the No. 2 terrorist in the Marxist cocaine-trafficking guerrilla group. Using American training and satellite technology, the hit took out a member of the FARC's inner circle for the first time, ending all illusion of safety at the top. Identified by his...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia’s police chief on Monday said documents found on a slain rebel’s laptop computer suggest Venezuela recently paid $300 million to Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, perhaps in exchange for the release of six hostages.Other documents show the rebels had appeared interested in buying uranium, Gen. Oscar Naranjo said at an explosive news conference where he lashed out at Venezuela and Ecuador for the financial and political support they have provided to Colombia’s leftist rebels.“When they mention negotiations for 50 kilos of uranium this means that the FARC are taking big steps in the world of terrorism to...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's defense minister said security forces killed a leading commander of the FARC rebel group on Saturday. The commander known as "Raul Reyes" was also the leftist rebels' official spokesman, Juan Manuel Santos said a news conference. He was killed in the southern province of Putumayo, a long-time guerrilla stronghold near the border with Ecuador. It was by far the most severe blow to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia since hardline President Alvaro Uribe took office in 2002. A total of 17 rebels and one soldier were killed in the fighting. As well as writing the...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned Colombia a strike against Farc rebels inside Venezuela like that in Ecuador on Saturday could start a war. He was speaking after Colombian air and ground forces killed a senior member of the leftist rebels operating just inside Ecuadorean territory. Farc spokesman Raul Reyes died along with at least 16 other rebels and one Colombian soldier, Bogota said. Ecuador has protested to Colombia over the incursion. 'Very serious' Venezuela's leftist leader has been mediating with Farc to secure the release of hostages the rebels hold. The rebels recently freed four of about 40 political...