Chavez Flexes Military Muscle [UPDATED]
Venezuelan madman Hugo Chavez has moved tanks to the border with Columbia as a warning to Columbian officials following an incursion into Ecuador by Columbian troops.
According to Reuters, Columbian forces tracked down and killed Columbian Raul Reyes, a leader of Marxist FARC rebels in Ecuador. Chavez, reacting to this news ordered his Defense Minister on his nationally broadcast television program, to “move me 10 battalions to the frontier with Colombia immediately, tank battalions.”
“Mr. Defense Minister, move me 10 battalions to the frontier with Colombia immediately, tank battalions,” Chavez said on his weekly TV show.
“The air force should mobilize. We do not want war. But we are not going to let them … come and divide and weaken us.”
The first question that popped into my head is, what business is it of Hugo’s? Is Hugo trying to provoke the United States? He’s been claiming for years that the US is potting his assassination and the over-throw of his country. By provoking Columbia a US ally, this may be the catalyst that Chavez needs to provoke the US into doing what he has previously predicted.
That said, Mr. Chavez may find out that the Colombians aren’t the push overs he thinks and kick his ass back across the border.
The Columbian government said the following in a statement:
“Colombia has not violated any sovereignty, only acted in accordance with the principal of legitimate defense,” the government said in a statement.
“The terrorists, among them Raul Reyes, were used to killing in Colombia and invading the neighboring countries to hide. Many times Colombia has suffered these situations, which we are obliged to avoid to defend our citizens,” it said.
This is no different than Turkey launching the incursion into Iraq in pursuit of PKK rebels or the US pursuing Poncho Villa in 1914. Chavez has his ass up on his shoulders because a Marxist is taking the permanent dirt nap.
He (Chavez) called it a “cowardly assassination” of a “good revolutionary.”
See.
“I am putting Venezuela on alert and we will support Ecuador in any situation,” Chavez said
“He (Columbian President Alvaro Uribe) is a criminal. Not only is he a liar, a Mafia boss, a paramilitary who leads a narco-government, and leads a government that is a lackey of the United States … he leads a band of criminals from his palace,” Chavez said.
Uribe has in the past been reluctant to over-react preferring to utilize all diplomatic means available. Chavez on the other hand sees himself as South America’s leftist leader and is willing to use Soviet style tactics to spread his Marxist beliefs.
Chavez, a Cuba ally, sees himself as a leader of Latin America’s left and says right-wing Uribe is an obstacle to uniting South America.
Chavez wants one South America under one leader… Him. Not happening Hugo.
Note:
All quoted material comes from Reuters.
UPDATE:
“This is something very serious. This could be the start of a war in South America,” Chavez said. He warned Colombian President Alvaro Uribe: “If it occurs to you to do this in Venezuela, President Uribe, I’ll send some Sukhois”—Russian warplanes recently bought by Venezuela. SOURCE
UPDATE 2 1257:
The Daily Mail suggests that the United States may intervene should war break out.
Venezuela threatened to declare war on neighbouring Colombia last night, raising the prospect of the U.S. being drawn into conflict in South America.
The U.S. would almost certainly come to Colombia’s aid if oil-rich Venezuela launched an invasion. But Washington-based diplomats played down the brouhaha and said it might be no more than bluster from Chavez, an outspoken opponent of the U.S.
While the US has bitterly deteriorating relations with Venezuela it has recently improved ties to Colombia and has troops in that country helping in the fight against the massive illicit cocaine trade.
According to Pentagon sources the US has warned Colombia not to let its military venture into Venezuela in pursuit of Farc guerrillas and there is no indication that they have done so. emphasis mine
The US is hoping that President Chavez – known for making extravagant claims – is on no more than a sabre-rattling exercise with no real intention of going to war.
Although there is no hard evidence to support The Daily Mail’s speculation, it is something that citizens of the US should be concerned with. We are already involved in operations around the world fighting terrorism.
Any attack from Venezuela against Columbia would be a threat against an ally in the War on Drugs. What would we do?
The US warned Columbia not to launch any incursions into Venezuela and according to The Daily Mail, there is no evidence they have. They got Raul Reyes and other FARC terrorists in Ecuador not Venezuela.
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