US embassy cable - 01BOGOTA7805

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007805 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/28/11 
TAGS: MOPS, MARR, PTER, PGOV, PREL ,CO 
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON OPERATION SEVENTH OF AUGUST 
 
REF: BOGOTA 7555 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON; REASONS 1.5 
(B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) AS REPORTED REFTEL, ON AUGUST 17 THE COLOMBIAN 
MILITARY LAUNCHED A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL JOINT ARMY/AIR 
FORCE OPERATION TO DESTROY MOBILE FARC UNITS SEEKING TO 
ATTACK MILITARY TARGETS IN META AND GUAVIARE DEPARTMENTS. 
ON AUGUST 27, FARC SUPREME MILITARY COMMANDER "MONO 
JOJOY" PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ALIAS "URIAS CUELLAR," 
HIS RIGHT-HAND MILITARY STRATEGIST HAD BEEN KILLED BY THE 
ARMY.  ALTHOUGH "JOJOY" DOWNPLAYED THE NUMBER OF FARC 
CASUALTIES, THE ARMY HAS RECOVERED THE BODIES OF AT LEAST 
20 FARC COMBATANTS.  THERE ARE CREDIBLE REPORTS THAT THE 
BODIES OF AT LEAST ANOTHER 80 FARC COMBATANTS WERE BURIED 
OR HIDDEN BY FARC UNITS AS THEY FLED FROM ARMY PURSUIT. 
 
2. (C) ARMED FORCES COMMANDER GEN. TAPIAS HAS ANNOUNCED 
THAT OPERATION "SEVENTH OF AUGUST" WILL CONTINUE AS THE 
ARMY PURSUES AND ENCIRCLES REMNANTS OF THE FARC COLUMNS, 
NUMBERING SOME 1,300 FARC REGULARS.  ARMY COMMANDER 
GENERAL MORA ORDERED AN ADDITIONAL 500 TROOPS COMMITTED 
TO THE OPERATION; THESE TROOPS ARE NOW POSTED AT 
STRATEGIC LOCATIONS DESIGNED TO PREVENT ELEMENTS OF THE 
FARC FORCE FROM ESCAPING BACK TO THE FARC DEMILITARIZED 
ZONE ("ZONA DE DESPEJE").  SOME FARC REGULARS ARE 
SPLITTING INTO SMALL GROUPS IN AN EFFORT TO EVADE 
DETECTION. 
 
3. (C) MILITARY SOURCES ADD THAT CURRENT EFFORTS ARE 
FOCUSING ON PSYOPS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE FARC 
COMBATANTS TO SURRENDER.  THESE OPERATIONS CONSIST MAINLY 
OF DROPPING LEAFLETS ARGUING THAT IT IS BETTER TO 
SURRENDER TO THE MILITARY, WHO TAKES GOOD CARE OF ITS 
PRISONERS, THAN BE KILLED IN ACTION.  FARC MORALE IN THE 
AREA IS REPORTEDLY LOW, AND THE COLOMBIAN MILITARY IS 
ATTEMPTING TO PRESS ITS ADVANTAGE.  FARC COMBATANTS ARE 
SAID TO BE STARVING AS A RESULT OF THE MILITARY'S SEIZURE 
EARLY IN THE OPERATION OF AT LEAST EIGHT TONS OF RATIONS 
DESTINED FOR THEM; AS MANY AS 30 GUERRILLAS HAVE ALREADY 
DESERTED, ACCORDING TO INTELLIGENCE SOURCES. 
 
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COMMENT: 
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4. (C) BY ALL ACCOUNTS, OPERATION "SEVENTH OF AUGUST" 
WILL LIKELY TURN OUT TO BE THE COLOMBIAN ARMED FORCES 
MOST SUCCESSFUL OPERATION AGAINST THE FARC IN RECENT 
YEARS.  AS THE ARMY CONTINUES TO ENCIRCLE THE FLEEING 
FARC REGULARS AND THEIR FOOD SUPPLIES CONTINUE TO 
DWINDLE, THE ARMY'S PSYOPS SHOULD PAY DIVIDENDS AS FARC 
SOLDIERS COME OUT OF THE BUSH TO SURRENDER. 
 
5. (C) THERE ARE REPORTS FROM SEVERAL FARC SOLDIERS WHO 
SURRENDERED EARLIER THAT THERE ARE MANY FARC WOMEN AND 
MINORS AMONG THOSE WISHING TO SURRENDER.  IF, IN FACT, A 
SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF MINORS SURRENDER, THIS OPERATION 
COULD DEAL ANOTHER MAJOR BLOW TO THE FARC'S INTERNATIONAL 
IMAGE.  AT THE SAME TIME, THIS OPERATION IS BEING 
CONDUCTED IN TERRAIN THAT MIGHT PERMIT THE GUERRILLAS TO 
SLIP THROUGH THE ARMY'S BLOCKING POSITIONS AND THUS ALLOW 
THE FARC COMBATANTS TO RETURN TO THEIR SANCTUARY IN THE 
DESPEJE. 
 
 
PATTERSON 
 
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