STRONG DEFENSE
According to an article featured in the Peking People's Daily December 30, more than 16,000 troops of the Colombian government supported by U.S. planes have failed to wipe out the guerrillas in Marquetalia, a rugged mountainous area of some 5,000 square kilometers in Tolima province.
The government operation began on May 18 under direction of a U.S. military mission. Washington provided $17,000,000 as well @8 up-to-date arms.
The. article reports that. Ue Ss. aircraft made more than 300° raids over the area between May 18 and July 5, using napaim.
The guerrillas fought back courageously, even using a network of trenches, bunkers and traps in:their defense. They proved skillful in setting ambushes. In August alone they killed or wounded 222 government troops. In mid October the guerrillas hit a helicop-~ ter, wounding three officers aboard, including Col. Hernando Correa C. who was in.command of the operation against Marquetalia,:..
‘..7 , A detachment of government troops found the area so-little to their liking that after.a period of rest and recuperation ata base camp they refused to return. ‘
On July 20, guerrilla headquarters issued a statement calling for the broadest possible united front, the overthrow of the government and formation of a democratic government of national liberation. In-their program:for agrarian reform they called for confiscation of all the big estates and land held by U.S. imperialism, demanding
that it be distributed free to the peasants.
ing September 15-20, They adopted a resolution stating that the conflict in Marquetalia had opened a new stage in the revolutionary struggle in Colombia. The declaration stressed the need to conduct an all-round guerrilla war and appealed to all armed groups in the country to join hands in this "patriotic struggle of our people against U.S. imperialism, "