OPERATION SEVENTH OF AUGUST WINDS DOWN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 008352

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/12/11
TAGS: MOPS MARR PTER PGOV PREL CO
SUBJECT: OPERATION SEVENTH OF AUGUST WINDS DOWN

REFS: A) BOGOTA 7805 B) BOGOTA 7555

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON; REASONS 1.5 (B,D).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) THE COLOMBIAN MILITARY'S (COLMIL) "SEVENTH OF
AUGUST" OPERATION, LAUNCHED ON AUGUST 17 AGAINST A
1,300 STRONG FARC FORCE IN THE EASTERN COLOMBIAN
DEPARTMENTS OF GUAVIARE AND META IS WINDING DOWN. THE
JOINT ARMY/AIR FORCE OPERATION WAS EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL, ESPECIALLY IN ITS EARLY STAGES, AS IT
INFLICTED SUBSTANTIAL CASUALTIES ON SOME OF THE FARC'S
ELITE MOBILE COLUMNS, AND LED TO THE DEATH OF "URIAS
CUELLAR," THE FARC'S SECOND MOST IMPORTANT FIELD
COMMANDER AND HEIR APPARENT TO "MONO JOJOY."


2. (C) SINCE THE END OF AUGUST, THE COLMIL HAS BEEN
ATTEMPTING TO ENCIRCLE THE FARC COMBATANTS AS THEY
RETREAT BACK TO THE FARC "DEMILITARIZED ZONE"
("DESPEJE"). THIS EFFORT HAS HAD LIMITED RESULTS FOR
THE COLMIL, WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF FARC COMBATANTS
SURRENDERING. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE RETREATING FARC
COMBATANTS HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN ABLE TO ELUDE THE
COLMIL'S ENCIRCLEMENT BY BREAKING UP INTO SMALL GROUPS
AND USING THE AREA'S DENSE VEGETATION TO THEIR
ADVANTAGE. NOTWITHSTANDING THE LIMITED SUCCESS OF THE
MOP-UP OPERATION, OPERATION "SEVENTH OF AUGUST" IS THE
COLOMBIAN MILITARY'S BIGGEST SUCCESS AGAINST THE FARC
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. END SUMMARY.


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OPERATIONAL RESULTS
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3. (C) AS REPORTED REFTELS, ON AUGUST 17, THE COLMIL
LAUNCHED A MAJOR JOINT ARMY/AIR FORCE OPERATION AIMED
AT DESTROYING MOBILE FARC UNITS WHICH HAD EARLIER LEFT
THE FARC "DEMILITARIZED ZONE" TO ATTACK MILITARY
TARGETS IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF META AND GUAVIARE. THE
FARC UNITS WERE UNDER DIRECT ORDERS TO RETAKE THE TOWN
OF BARRANCOMINAS (GUAINIA DEPARTMENT),LOST TO THE
COLMIL DURING OPERATION "GATO NEGRO." ESTIMATES ARE
THAT THE FARC SUFFERED 150 KILLED IN COMBAT, THE
LARGEST NUMBER OF FARC KILLED IN AN OPERATION IN RECENT
HISTORY. FURTHERMORE, INTELLIGENCE SOURCES INDICATE
THAT APPROXIMATELY 30 FARC COMBATANTS SURRENDERED
FOLLOWING THE COLMIL'S INITIAL BATTLEFIELD SUCCESSES.


4. (C) ACCORDING TO MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE SOURCES,
FOLLOWING ITS EARLY BATTLEFIELD SETBACKS, THE FARC
FORCE WAS ABLE TO SPLIT INTO GROUPS OF 50-300, WHICH
HAVE LARGELY SUCCEEDED IN RETREATING INTO THE
SURROUNDING JUNGLE AND WORKING THEIR WAY BACK TO THE
"DESPEJE." THE ARMY AND AIR FORCE CONTINUE CONDUCTING
RECONNAISSANCE AND PURSUIT OPERATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO
LOCATE AND DESTROY SOME OF THESE SMALLER GROUPS.
ACCORDING TO ARMY COMMANDER GENERAL JORGE MORA, HE HAS
APPROXIMATELY 750 TROOPS IN BLOCKING POSITIONS TO
INTERCEPT THE FARC COLUMNS SEEKING TO RETURN TO THE
"DESPEJE." ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL ENGAGEMENTS LED TO
HEAVY FARC LOSSES, THE MOP-UP OPERATION HAS SO FAR HAD
ONLY LIMITED SUCCESS AND WILL NOT LIKELY YIELD THE
LARGE NUMBER OF FARC DESERTIONS THAT THE MILITARY WAS
ORIGINALLY PREDICTING.


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FARC FIELD MORALE LOW
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5. (C) THE COLMIL'S SEIZURE OF AT LEAST EIGHT TONS OF
RATIONS DESTINED FOR THE FARC COMBATANTS, THE FARC'S
INABILITY TO ACHIEVE ITS GOAL TO RETAKE BARRANCOMINAS
AND REESTABLISH A MAJOR DRUGS/WEAPONS CENTER ON THE
BRAZILIAN BORDER, AND THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AIR TO
GROUND ATTACKS CARRIED OUT BY THE ARMY AND AIR FORCE
HAVE, ACCORDING TO CAPTURED FARC GUERRILLAS, KEPT FARC
FIELD MORALE VERY LOW. THE ARMY HAS REPOSITIONED ITS
TROOPS INTO BLOCKING POSITIONS TO CUT OFF THE FARC'S
ROUTES OF RETREAT TO THE "DESPEJE," AND CONTINUES TO
HOPE TO CAPTURE OR KILL GUERRILLAS AS THEY FLEE THE
COMBAT ZONE. THIS MOP-UP PHASE IS EXPECTED TO END IN
THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.


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COMMENT
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6. (C) THIS OFFENSIVE REFLECTS THE TACTICAL
IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE COLMIL HAS MADE OVER THE PAST TWO
YEARS. INTELLIGENCE WAS VITAL TO LOCATING THE FARC
COLUMN, AND THE COLMIL WAS ABLE TO EXPLOIT THAT
INTELLIGENCE BY MAKING USE OF ITS VASTLY IMPROVED
TRANSPORT CAPABILITIES, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE C-130
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BE PLAGUED BY A
SHORTAGE OF PARTS AND SKILLED MECHANICS. TWO YEARS
AGO, EVEN IF INTELLIGENCE HAD PROVIDED THE NECESSARY
INFORMATION, THE COLMIL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
MOVE OVER 3,000 TROOPS IN 48 HOURS TO THE COMBAT ZONE,
AND THE FARC WOULD HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY ESCAPED.


7. (C) AT ONE TIME, THE COLMIL WAS HOPEFUL THAT A LARGE
NUMBER OF TRAPPED FARC GUERRILLAS WOULD TURN THEMSELVES
IN, AS HAD OCCURRED LATE LAST YEAR DURING OPERATION
BERLIN. IN THIS CASE, THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN ALLOWED
MOST OF THE GUERRILLA UNITS TO EVADE CONTACT WITH THE
MILITARY AND THUS RETURN SAFELY TO THE "DESPEJE."
ALTHOUGH LARGE SCALE DESERTIONS ARE UNLIKELY, OPERATION
"SEVENTH OF AUGUST" IS, BY ANY MEASURE, ONE OF THE
COLMIL'S BIGGEST MILITARY SUCCESSES IN THE LAST FEW
YEARS. THIS OPERATION WILL LIKELY REINFORCE THE TREND
OF THE FARC REVERTING TO HIT-AND-RUN TACTICS AND
AVOIDING FRONTAL ENGAGEMENTS WITH NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR
GROUND TROOPS BACKED BY SUPERIOR FIREPOWER.


PATTERSON


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