A US general released a statement on Friday that the US will do “everything in our power” to help the Colombian Armed Forces end terrorism in Colombia.
General John Kelly of the US Southern Command released a statement during his trip to Colombia that “we will do everything in our power to support the people and the Armed Forces of Colombia and end this agony that has hit this country.”
Describing the meeting as a “privilege and an honor”, General Kelly met with Colombia ‘s Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon to discuss advances in security plans between the two nations, and how to negotiate with Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group. The US regard the FARC, the largest guerrilla group in Colombia, as a terrorist group.
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General Kelly also highlighted the importance of the work of the Colombian police and army, saying it was “quite emotional to see the efforts being made by the military of Colombia…I say this not only as general of the US Southern Command, but on behalf of all the forces that I represent, especially in regard to the work we continue to do with this country.”
Minister Pinzon emphasized the good relations with the United States saying that “it is of great importance to maintain a strong and integral relationship with the US Armed Forces in order to defend our country.”
US military aid has been consistent in Colombia with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the continuation of Plan Colombia, a bilateral agreement between the United States and Colombia aimed at reducing drug trafficking and cultivation, as well as fighting leftist rebel groups.
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The Colombian government have engaged in peace talks with the FARC in Havana, Cuba since November 2012.
