Post by Papa C. on Aug 7, 2007 14:09:43 GMT
IRA training haunts Colombia's guerrilla war
By Jeremy McDermott in Bogota
Last Updated: 1:42am BST 03/08/2007
The IRA has left a daunting legacy in Colombia, where the government is
struggling against Left-wing guerrillas who have learnt urban warfare
tactics from their Northern Irish allies, the country's outgoing
intelligence chief said.
Oxford-educated Andres Penate, 41, said the British government had advised
him how to cope with the tactics adopted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (Farc) after three men with IRA links were arrested in
Colombia in 2001 on suspicion of training the rebels.
But, he said, with a derisory annual budget of £75 million, the Department
of Administrative Security (DAS) - the Colombian equivalent of MI5 and MI6
- is struggling against its rich and now highly skilled enemy.
advertisement"The IRA provided the Farc with a quantum leap in their use
of explosives," he said.
"Basically we saw an improvement in their homemade mortars, making them
more accurate.
"Also we saw an improvement in their ability to arm car bombs, which were
not so common before."
Car bombs are now an everyday element of the country's 44-year conflict.
In the week when the British Army's operation in Northern Ireland ended
after 38 years, the South American spymaster's comments are a pointed
reminder of the far-reaching legacy of the Troubles.
Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan were each sentenced to
17 years in jail for training the Farc. They denied the allegations but
skipped the country while on bail and are now believed to be back in
Northern Ireland, which has no extradition treaty with Colombia.
Colombia's conflict has historically been fought in the countryside. But
now, after the US government has given billions of pounds in military aid
to the government, the Farc have adjusted and realised the future of their
war lies in the cities, where the majority of the population now lives and
where their IRA training is most useful.
Using the IRA system of isolated, independent cells, the Farc has
developed urban networks the Colombian intelligence services cannot
penetrate.
The first and clearest example of the IRA training came on Aug 7, 2002
when the inauguration of President Alvaro Uribe was marked by a mortar
attack, a copy of the Downing Street bombing of 1991. The attack in Bogota
killed 23 people and injured a further 70.
Since then the rebels have increased their use of explosives and employed
increasingly sophisticated detonation systems.
As well as taking on the Farc, Right-wing paramilitaries and drugs barons
since he became head of the DAS in 2005, Mr Penate, 41, has also had to
spend much of his time weeding out corruption within the ranks of the
secret service.
One of his first actions as DAS director was to take a lie detector test.
Then it was the turn of his subordinates. Hundreds have now left the DAS.
Mr Penate resigned last week, citing a need for a better salary.
He has accepted a lucrative post with the brewing giant SAB Miller.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/03/wcolomb103.xml
