Colombians Say FARC Rebel Leader Is Dead

Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda Founded The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia And Led The Rebel Group For 40 Years

(AP)  The Colombian Defense Ministry said Saturday that it has information from various intelligence sources that the legendary leader of Latin America's largest guerrilla army is dead.

In a statement, the ministry said "we have learned through different military intelligence means" that the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, died on March 26.

"We know that inside the FARC, the version is that he died of natural causes, specifically from a heart attack," the ministry said.

Marulanda is believed to be about 80.

First word of Marulanda's possible death came earlier Saturday when the newsmagazine Semana quoted Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos as saying he had information that Marulanda died in the guerrillas' southern Colombian stronghold at the time of three bombing raids.

"Whether the death of Marulanda came in a bombardment or from natural causes, this would be the most serious blow this terrorist group has suffered," the Defense Ministry statement said.

In the Semana interview, Santos said that the government had been told of the rebel leader's death from a "source who has never failed us."

Marulanda, whose real name is Pedro Antonio Marin, has led the peasant-based FARC since its founding in 1964.

Colombia's government has announced his death various times over the past 15 years, but each time proof that he was alive cropped up months later.

"If (the FARC) are going to say that the information we have is not true, they should show him," said the statement, which was read by the military's chief of staff, Adm. David Moreno. It said Marulanda has been replaced as FARC leader by a rebel ideologue known as Alfonso Cano.

The army has for months said it has Cano cornered in the southwest Colombian jungle and that his death or capture is imminent. FARC statements have denied Cano is in the area.

The FARC has suffered the worst setbacks in its history this year, including the killing of its chief spokesman and a senior commander, and the defection of a female leader well regarded inside the rebel group.

Born to a poor peasant family, Marulanda was radicalized by the vicious civil wars that ravaged Colombia in the middle of the last century, pitting Liberals against Conservatives.

He and other survivors of a 1964 army attack on a peasant community escaped to the mountains and formed the FARC, which grew over the decades to include some 15,000 fighters. The defense minister now estimates the FARC's strength at around 9,000.

Marulanda's deadly aim in combat against the army earned him the name "Sureshot."

Notoriously reclusive, he is said to have never set foot in Colombia's capital or to have left the country, giving just a handful of interviews over the course of his life.

Even senior commanders within the FARC speak of Marulanda with awe, and he is known to have the final word over any major decision taken by the FARC.

The guerrillas remain strong in many parts of Colombia's countryside, but many Colombians believe they have abandoned their communist ideology as the movement has come to rely chiefly on drug trafficking as its main funding source.

The government says the FARC currently holds 700 hostages, including three U.S. military contractors and French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, who was running for president when the rebels kidnapp

[fmrdem]

What Obama says is all bluster and braggadacio, doesn''t mean a thing. The voters are going to see him for what he is before the election...a used car salesman with only lemons to sell.

[downsteamjim]

I guess cocaine futures will be on the rise.

[rowdywicca]

rowdy,
You are very informed. Tell us why Bush kisses the feet of the Bin Laden family. The family of the 9-11 terrorists, or have you coveniently forgotten him to, like Bush?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by stevex47 at 11:57 PM : May 24, 2008

Same reason Obama has kissed ever Islamic and Muslim behind in Chicago for his campaign donations.

[stevex47]

rowdy,
You are very informed. Tell us why Bush kisses the feet of the Bin Laden family. The family of the 9-11 terrorists, or have you coveniently forgotten him to, like Bush?

[rowdywicca]

FRIDAY FARC FAUX PAS #2: Sen. Obama Says The International Community Should Hold Venezuela Accountable Only "If, In Fact" It Is Supporting The FARC:

In Miami Herald Interview Published Today, Sen. Obama Says "We Have To Hold Venezuela Accountable If, In Fact, It Is Trying To Ferment Terrorist Activists In Other Borders." "When I asked him what he would do about the estimated 37,000 Interpol-certified Colombian FARC guerrilla compu ter files that indicate an active support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa to the Colombian rebels, Obama went farther than the Bush administration. ''I think the Organization of American States and the international community should launch an immediate investigation into this situation. We have to hold Venezuela accountable if, in fact, it is trying to ferment terrorist activities in other borders,'' he told me. ''If Venezuela has violated those rules, we should mobilize all the countries to sanction Venezuela and let them know that that''s not acceptable behavior.'' So far, the 34-country OAS has not acted on the FARC computer files, which refer among other things to a $300 million pledge from Chavez to the FARC, which Washington and the European Union categorize as a terrorist group." (Andres Oppenheimer, Op-Ed, "Obama Has Done His Homework On Latin America," The Miami Herald, 5/24/08)

[rowdywicca]

In Two Days, Barack Obama Offers Three Contradictory Policy Statements On the FARC And Venezuela

THURSDAY FARC FAUX PAS: Sen. Obama Says He Will Unconditionally Meet With Venezuela''s Hugo Chavez To Discuss His Country''s "Support Of FARC In Colombia":

In Thursday Orlando Sentinel Interview, Sen. Obama Says Hugo Chavez''s "Support Of FARC In Colombia" Would Be One Of His Highest Priorities In Unconditional Meeting With The Venezuelan Dictator. "One of the obvious high priorities in my talks with President Hugo Chavez would be the fermentation of anti-American sentiment in Latin America, his support of FARC in Colombia and other issues he would want to talk about. It is important to understand that ignoring these countries has not led to improved behavior on their part and it has not served our national security interests." ("Obama: I''ll Talk To Castro, Chavez," The Orlando Sentinel, http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com, 5/22/08)

FRIDAY FARC FAUX PAS: Sen. Obama Pledges To Isolate Any Government That Supports The FARC:

In Friday''s Miami Speech, Sen. Obama Called For "Regional Isolation" Of Countries Supporting The FARC: "It Must Not Stand." SEN. OBAMA: "We will shine a light on any support for the FARC that comes from neighboring governments. This behavior must be exposed to international condemnation, regional isolation, and - if need be - strong sanctions. It must not stand." (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Miami, FL, 5/23/08