List of FARC attacks in 2005

In early 2005, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo ("Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army", or FARC-EP), launched what has been interpreted as their active response to Colombian president Álvaro Uribe's security strategy and to the military offensive known as Plan Patriota, apparently adopting a new style of operations, in particular near the southwest of Colombia.

The FARC allegedly would have previously implemented what was later called "Plan Resistencia" in order to endure Plan Patriota's continuing effects, by withdrawing into the jungle and executing a temporary halt in its larger scale attacks. The FARC believe that Plan Patriota has been a failure, as mentioned in some of their communiques. This is disputed by the government of Colombia, which maintains that important advances have been achieved, even if the final defeat of the FARC is not achievable in the short term.

Between 1996 and 1998, and even until 2000, the FARC had executed large scale multi-front attacks. The FARC's newer attacks are different, consisting of what have been called medium-size unit concentrations, considered to be potentially more flexible against Colombian military action but still able to pack a substantial punch.

FARC Attacks

In February 2005 the FARC attacked the Iscuandé marine base in southwestern Colombia, killing 16 and wounding 25 marines. Allegedly, later investigations suggested that the FARC had bribed or infiltrated some of its members or sympathizers inside the base for intelligence gathering purposes.

On April 6th the FARC clashed with an elite counterguerilla unit which had been trained by U.S. Special Forces, or "Green Berets" in the oil rich Arauca Department, killing 17 of the men in a military convoy, including some of the unit's commanding officers.

On April 14 2005, the FARC attacked Toribio, a predominantly indigenous town in the Cauca department and at one point prolonged "face to face" fighting took place with Colombian security forces, overall combat operations lasting for about a month in the surrounding area.

The Colombian government's defense minister fired four top generals of the Colombian military sometime after the Cauca attack, arguing that disagreements about the military's future implementation of joint command structures would not be tolerated. A few analysts suggested that this could also be due to a disagreement regarding the military's strategy against the FARC in Cauca, but this was not confirmed.

Since May 2005, a couple of Colombian press reports in the daily "El Tiempo" alluded to the possible announcement of a FARC "final offensive", to occur at some unspecified point in the future. Specific details have been unclear, some believing that this was mostly a boast. Others have speculated that this could be the ultimate goal of the FARC's newest offensive, aiming to eventually escalate its military operations towards the May 2006 elections, in order to contribute to discrediting Uribe's policies before public and international opinion.

Starting on June 24th, the FARC attacked military positions in the location of Puerto Asís in the Putumayo department, killing 25 and wounding 20 in a single operation, one of the biggest attacks since 2000. In July the FARC decreed what they termed as an "armed strike" ("paro armado"), demanding that all transport in Putumayo's roads should grind to a halt, or else. Most civilians and commercial vehicles accepted this demand. Food and supply shortages were felt in many of Putumayo's towns, in Puerto Asís and Mocoa.

Some reports alleged that the FARC would have been able to gain control over most of the area of the department during the bulk of its operations, though it soon had to face pressure from incoming Colombian Army troops, resulting in intense clashes. Most of the roads were once again free for traffic by the end of August 2005. Towards the beginning of September, the FARC also blew up several key electricity towers in the department. Smaller scale fighting still continued into September.

On December 17, the FARC launched a massive attack in the remote village of San Marino in the Chocó department, which killed at least six police officers along with the temporary abduction of some thirty, before they were released by the guerrillas on December 20 due to military pressure. [http://elpais-cali.terra.com.co/paisonline/notas/Diciembre202005/desapachoc.html] Some officials estimated that there were 500 guerrillas in the attack. It is believed that the National Liberation Army and the smaller Revolutionary Guevarist Army participated in the attack alongside the FARC.

On December 27, FARC fighters killed 28 Colombian soldiers in a heavily mined rural area near Vista Hermosa in the southern Meta province. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4563098.stm] The soldiers were part of a brigade which days earlier had been tasked with protecting workers who were manually destroying coca plants.

ee also

*Military History of the FARC-EP
*Military Structure of the FARC-EP
*Kidnappings in Colombia

References

*Diario de la resistencia de Marquetalia, Jacobo Arenas, Ediciones Abejón Mono, 1972