Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management

Colombian Troops Kill Dozens of FARC Guerillas March 21, 2012

According to a story on CNN, Colombian government forces have killed dozens of leftist guerrillas in the past two days. Various operations throughout Colombia killed an estimated 39 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).   FARC has been at war with the Colombian government since the 1960’s and by 2005 had kidnapped an estimated 2,500 people.  In the first half of 2011 FARC had kidnapped 108 people.

While self labeled as a “leftist” guerrilla group, many organizations have labled FARC as a terrorist organization or ‘narco terrorist’ organization.

As profiled on About.com: “According to FARC, its goals are to represent Colombia’s rural poor by seizing power through armed revolution, and establishing government. FARC is a self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist organization, which means it is committed in some fashion to the the redistribution of wealth among the country’s population. In keeping with this position, it opposes multinational corporations and the privatization of national resources.”

FARC makes money through involvement in the Cocaine trade as well as other criminal enterprises such as kidnappings.