Colombia To Send
Demining Experts To
Afghanistan
BOGOTA - Colombia's
government will send
experts to sweep mines
and combat illegal
harvests in Afghanistan,
Colombian Defense
Minister Juan Manuel
Santos said Wednesday.
Santos said his country
made the decision at the
request of a visiting
Afghan delegation,
saying, "We will send
some officers tosee what
kind of help, over all
humanitarian assistance,
is needed; for example,
demining or training for
manual eradication."
"Now we will determine
how many experts and
which group will be sent
to Afghanistan," Santos
said.
Santos will make an
official announcement
during the summit of
defense ministers in
Canada next week.
Afghan anti-drug
commanders are being
trained by Colombian
experts at the military
base Pijaos in the
municipality of El
Espinal, in Tolima
province.
In addition, Colombia is
reportedly to help the
Spanish contingent of
the International
Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) led by NATO
in the province of
Badghis, northwest of
Afghanistan, to combat
the Taliban guerrillas.
However, Santos denied
these reports, saying
that the Colombian
officers will face the
same risk as any person
dedicated to removing
explosive devices in
conflict zones, but
there is no possibility
of joining the groups
fighting the Taliban.
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