More than 300 US troops arrived in Colombia Oct. 27 to take part in a series of joint military operations known as "Southern Vanguard." The exercises, which are set to last [12] through Nov. 11, will focus on [8] tackling drug trafficking and illegal mining, as well as training in medical aid [13]. The operations, which will in large part be carried out at the Tolemaida [14] airbase, have stirred controversy in the country given the possibility that US troops could conduct joint strikes on Colombian soil, after the new right-wing government of President Abelardo de la Espriella agreed to such an arrangement [9]. The left opposition argues that the presence of foreign troops needs congressional approval [10]. Former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda sued the government [15] in September after a US helicopter flew [16] over the southern port of Tumaco [17].
On Oct. 28, the right-wing [18] head of the Senate, Honorio Henríquez, asked that [19] the Minister of Defense explain to legislators on what grounds US troops were arriving. The issue of US troops in Tolemaida is particularly sensitive given past abuses by US soldiers in the vicinity of the airbase; between 2003 and 2007, US soldiers and military contractors sexually abused [20] more than 54 local children, but went unpunished due to bilateral immunity agreements. (NACLA Update [21])
