DOCUMENT ID 178798311 -DO_C44D INQNO 00192 700 NU PRODUCER JCS DODIR SOURCE DOCTYPE 19971224 DOR TOR 071529 DOCPREC R ORIGDATE 199712241154 MHFNO 97 0085494 DOCCLASS '9' HEADER RR RUEAIIA DE RUEHBO #2080 01 3581154 ZNY _____ R 241154Z DEC 97 F-' -_ FM TO RUEKJCS DIA WASHDC INFO RUMIAAA USCINCSO MIA141 RUEHC SECSTATE Ir7ASHDC RUEKJCS SECDEF WASHDC RUEAIIA CIA WASHDC b 2 b 3 10 USC 424 BT CONTROLS 012080 SERIAL TEXT COUNTRY IPSP U U IIR COLOMBIA CO PANAMA PM U COMBINE COMPLETE SUBJ IIR• CASHIERED COLONEL TALKS FREELY ABOUT THE ARMY HE LEFT BEHIND LASER STRIKE U WARNING U THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE REPORT CLASSIFIED --------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE -__------------------------------------------------------DOT U 971117 Page x REQS SOURCE B U U b ' 2 A U b 2 - b SUMMARY- - b 1 j 4 C SEEMS TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT PARAMILITARIES AND THEIR LINKS TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND THE ARMY 11 _ THE 17TH BRIGADE LOCATED AT CAREPA IN THE 1URABA REGION OF NORTHWESTERN ANTIOQUTA DEPARTMENT THIS IS THE UNIT HAVING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CURRENTLY TENSE BORDER WITH PANAMA WHICH IS EXPERIENCING THE SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF GUERRILLAS AND PARAMILITARIES ACTING WITH RELATIVE IMPUNITY AGAINST INNOCENT CIVILIANS MANY OF WHOM HAVE BEEN DISPLACED OR MURDERED ON BOTH-SIDES OF THE BORDER SPECIAL COMMAND COMANDO ESPECIAL CONJUNTO OR CEC -WHICH IS THE COLAR'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORT TO CAPTURE DRUG KINGPINS KNOWN AS THE BLOQUE DE BUSQUEDA CSEARCH BLOC LOCATF SL3 CALF tVA E nr• _ CAUCA emrwrr Paae 2 THERE IS A BODY COUNT SYNDROME IN THE COLAR WHEN ACCORDING TO IT COMES TO PURSUING THE GUERRILLAS THIS MINDSET TENDS TO FUEL HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY OTHERWISE' WELL-MEANING SOLDIERS TRYING TO GET THEIR QUOTA TO IMPRESS SUPERIORS IT COULD ALSO LEAD TO A CAVALIER OR AT LEAST PASSIVE APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO ALLOWING THE PARAMILITARIES TO SERVE AS PROXIES FOR THE COLAR IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE GUERRILLA BODY COUNT e SAID TH7 T1IWAS INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE RECORD OF TWO E FIRST WAS BG VICTOR JULIO 17TH BRIGADE COMMANDERS ALVAREZ VARGAS WHOM 1 l SAID F REALLY LIKED AND RESPECTED ALVAREZ COMMANDED THE BRIGADE IN 1995 AND WAS REPLACED IN JAN 96 BY BG RITO ALEJO DEL RIO ROJAS ABOJT WHOM HE HAD FEWER NICE THINGS TO SAY Kp n1 1 4 c WAS ASKED IF THE PARAMILITARY WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN THE URABA REGION AND THE RELATED MILITARY COLLUSION WERE RECENT PHENOMENA REPLIED IN THE NEGATIVE SAY NG THAT MILITARY COOPERATION WITH THE FARAMILITARIES HAD BEEN OCCURRING FOR A NUMBER OF YE EAR BUT THAT IT HAD GOTTEN MUCH WORSE UNDER DEL RIO 6 2 E 0 2E -AFTER HIS BRIGADE COMMAND BG ALVAREZ BECAME DIRECTOR OF THE ESCUELA MILITAR DE CADETES JOSE MARIA CORDOVA THE COLAR EQUIVALENT OF WEST POINT WHERE HE Page 3 HAS SERVED THE PAST TWO YEARS WITH DISTINCTION ALVAREZ IS NOW HEADED TO SANTA MARTA MAGDAI ENA IN EARLY JAN 98 TO TAKE OVER THE FIRST DIVISION FROM MG IVAN RAMIREZ QUINTERO THOUGH ALVAREZ IS ONE YEAR AWAY FROM 2-STAR PROMOTION ELIGIBILITY BG DEL RIO ONE YEAR JUNIOR TO ALVAREZ IS DUE TO RETURN TO BOGOTA TO TAKE OVER THE URBAN-BASED 13TH BRIGADE FOR DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER GENERAL OFFICER REASSIGNMENTS SEE IIR 6 2 HEADLINES ABOUT INTELLIGENCE PURGE OBSCURE ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW DIVISION AND BRIGADE COMMANDERS U DTG 25175OZ NOV 97 7 'eor OBSERVING THAT BG DEL RIO'S NEW BOSS WILL BE THE FIFTH DIVISION COMMANDER MG JORGE ENRTQUE CONCURRED THAT THIS FORMER JOINT OPERATIONS I I ' E -TUR D-3 AND WAR COLLEGE DIRECTOR DOES INDEED H''E AN UNBLEMISHED PUBLIC REPUTATION NEVERTHELESS OPINED THAT WHEN IT CAME TO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARAMILITARIES MORA PROBABLY WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO LOOKED THE OTHER WAY WAS REFERRING IN PARTICULAR TO THE TIME FRAME WHEN MORA WAS A BG COMMANDING THE LARGE AND CRITICAL 4TH BRIGADE IN MEDELLIN ANTIOQUTA THE SISTER UNIT TO THE 17TH BACK IN 1994-95 ALSO FELT THAT AN EARLIER COMMANDER OF THAT UNIT FORMER COLAR AND MILITARY FORCES COMMANDER GEN HAROLD BEDOYA PIZARRO FELL INTO THE SAME CATEGORY IN OTHER WORDS OFFICERS SUCH AS MORA AND THE NOW RETIRED BEDOYA NEVER ALLOWED THEMSELVES TO BECOME DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN ENCOURAGING OR SUPPORTING PARAMILITARY ACTIVITIES BUT THEY TURNED THEIR BACKS TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND FELT THE COLAR SHOULD IN NO WAY BE BLAMED FOR ANY RESULTING HUMAN RIGHTS ATROCITIES COMMITTED 8 WAS SERVING IN URAAA NEXT tS- - WHILE b 1 1 4 - G HIGHER HEADQUARTERS FOR BOTH THE 17TH AND 4TH BRIGADES WAS THE FIRST DIVISION WHICH WASICONMMANDED BY MG RAMIREZ AT THE TIME AND STILL WILL BE FOR A COUPLE MORE WEEKS UNTIL BG ALVAREZ TAKES OVER IN SANTA MARTA AND RAMIREZ RETURNS TO BOGOTA TO BECOME COLAR INSPECTOR GENERAL IG IS NO FAN OF RAMIREZ WHOL___1IS CONVINCED HAS GONE FAR BEYOND THE PASSIVE PHASE WITH PARAMILITARIES AND IS ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THEM b 1 1 4C IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DIRECTION THE COLAR COULD TAKE IF' RAMIREZ ABUSES HIS POSITION AS IG OR WORSE IF HE IS ALLOWED TO RISE TO EVEN HIGHER POSITIONS IN THE ARMED FORCES HIERARCHY IS NOT OVERLY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE MILITARY CURRENT LEADERSHIP WILL TAKE ANY FIRM ACTION TO GET RID OF RAMIREZ IN THE SHORT TERM COMMENTS 1 l b 11 4 t L -6%- Page 4 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu