Venezuelan soldiers criticize “shameful” defeat against FARC dissidents on border with Colombia

In the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) a bitter taste of defeat remains for the battle lost at Apure, although the joy of return to the homes of the eight soldiers that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had been holding hostage since April 23, 2021. The war for the control of the territory saw many effective acts such as the activation of an operational zone of integral defense and a special brigade, without great relevance, but they are left dead, injured and missing.

The release of the eight soldiers that the Colombian guerrillas held hostage as “prisoners of war” again reveals the ambiguous discourse of the Ministry of Defense, which in a press release speaks of Operation Centennial Eagle Rescue, without revealing who rescued these soldiers, nor the place and even less if there was loss of human or material life which would have occurred during the “rescue”.

During the Apure conflict, the Full defense operational zone (ZODI) Temporary Special “GD José Cornelio Muñoz”, for which the GD has been assigned Alejandro Javier Benítez Marcano, with a coordination staff, and the 94 First Black Integral Special Brigade in the ZODI Apure commanded by the brigadier general Wilfredo Alexandre Medrano Machado.

The Minister Sponsor assured on this occasion that he knew the two officers personally: “I know their warlike capacities, their moral conditions”, he said, at the same time as he condemned “I am sure we will win this battle on all fronts”.

These are years of inconsistency, of Double talk in front of the Colombian guerrillas, to hide or silence, by the military high command, the attack of the FARC and the ELN against the Venezuelan army, to silence the murder of soldiers in Apure, Táchira, Amazonas, Zulia, that is to say – say at the Venezuelan border, by the guerrillas.

The results are appalling: only this group of FARC dissidents at this precise location in Apure cost the armed forces twenty soldiers killed, large number of wounded, some mutilated.

While losing the Battle of Apure now does not mean for the FANB that the war on irregular groups is lost, the end result will depend on how the Venezuelan army recovers Yes the offensive he deploys for the defense of the territory and sovereignty.

The ZODI special

Almost a month ago, on Monday April 5, the Minister of Defense, GJ Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced the creation, by Nicolás Maduro, of a special temporary global defense operational zone in three municipalities in the state of Apure: José Antonio Páez, Muñoz and Rómulo Gallegos.

On this occasion, Padrino declared that with this special temporary ZODI “public security organizations will be faced with destabilizing actions that threaten the peace of the nation, the security of persons and the protection of public and private property facilities for guarantee internal order, civic peace and human rights “.

He even assured that ZODI would establish “Land, air and river traffic measures through the territory of the three municipalities”, while remembering the letter that the chancellor Jorge Arreaza sent to the UN to request support in training to deactivate anti-personnel mines.

He stressed that these antipersonnel mines were placed by violent groups, without daring to identify them as Colombian guerrillas. “These mines have claimed the lives of our troops. We deactivated 7 mines and identified the laying of 6 anti-personnel mines in the territory of La VictoriaFor this reason, the Operational Strategic Command is dedicated to creating the necessary capacities to demine all these conflict zones ”.

And although on this occasion the military chief spoke of reports which speak of “More than 8 million victims that Colombia has due to acts of violence and war”, did not say what are the figures of the dead, missing and murdered by violence of guerrilla groups, paramilitaries and common criminal gangs in Venezuela.

On April 10, the strategic operational commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Ceofanb), the chief admiral Remigio Ceballos Ichaso announced the activation of Special ZODI “Major General Cornelio Muñoz”, which would act temporarily in the border area of ​​Apure.

According to Ceballos, ZODI would take care of “To guarantee the attention to the people of Antarctica in the municipality of Páez and the action of the State, to bring well-being to the people of Aure through the application of the integral defense of the nation.

Give in and give up

The general José Salazar Heredia summarizes what happened in Apure, which closes a stage or battle with the kidnapping and release of the eight soldiers, with “Give in, give up, give up in the face of external pressures. In military language, a shameful defeat ”.

The retired officer added that the Venezuelan armed forces “withdrew from the La Victoria-Apure theater of operations with a red scale of the dead, wounded, hostages, missing, in the midst of silence and humiliation raped by a band of terrorists installed and positioned on Venezuelan territory ”.

“All the components (national guard, army, navy and air force) and the unconstitutional Bolivarian militia marched through this theater of operations; bombardments and shrapnel, tanks, Marines, the elite of the National Guard, the Caribbean, the FAES (Special Action Forces), the head of the CEOFAN (Strategic Operational Commander of the Armed Forces), and the report is a monumental defeat and post mortem ascension ceremonies ”.

“On May 31, 2021, there is the release, not the rescue, of the 8 soldiers who for more than a month were in the hands of gentle Duarte and his terrorists. What was negotiated with this release? Have territorial space and sovereignty been ceded to this FARC dissent? Was the negotiation tripartite: Godfather, Iván Marquez and Gentil Duarte? Has peace arrived in the State of Apure? Who exercises sovereignty over this border? These are questions that will not have an answer ”.

“Surely a glorious event will be organized, promotions and decorations, a big date will be decreed, a rescue version will be filmed at La Victoria. What is clear is that Gentil Duarte is the male on the border “, says General Salazar who, addressing the Minister of Defense, underlines: “Godfather, you are unrepresentable in front of the world, the country and the Armed Forces. To celebrate with lollipops and cheetos ”.

“We lose respect”

On the other hand, an Air Force Brigadier General indignantly declared “the immorality is reflected in the sad statements by politician disguised as military Padrino López and the photo of the alleged young soldiers released by the guerrillas, smiling and eating candy. What an embarrassment for the current FAN! “

A retired express aviation major general feel “a deep pain to see how we lose respect for the Armed Forces in the face of a fractional guerrilla war weakened by having been divided ”.

suppose pessimistic “Perhaps the result of the release of the kidnapped soldiers was to agree on the division of the territory, where the guerrilla fractions will be able to act at their ease, in the only thing they have been able to do: drug trafficking, cattle theft, kidnapping and even mining ”.

As for young people soldiers who were kidnapped He said “I’m sure those poor innocent liberated boys haven’t a clue how they’ve been. managed at the discretion of the guerrilla leaders and the Venezuelan ruling leadership ”.

“It’s sad to see how they continue to deal with the rest of the military population, including many generals who dare not raise their heads. From now on, the guerrillas will manage the entire border area of ​​the two parties, so that, if this continues, a new republic will emerge later, governed by this guerrilla sector. If God wills it and you are wrong, ”he concludes by saying.

KEEP READING: