Colombia's army commander General Mario Montoya speaks to the media in Bogota, November 4, 2008. (Jose Miguel Gomez/Reuters)

In Colombia, Army Acknowledges Civilian Killings
-- Christian Science Monitor

The head of Colombia's Army resigned Tuesday after 20 top military officials were fired.

Bogotá, Colombia - With the death of three senior Colombian rebel commanders, the bloodless rescue of 14 top hostages, and the seizure of thousands of guerrilla computer files, this should have been a triumphant year for Colombia's military.

The Army's successes, however, have been muted by a macabre revelation that the Colombian military reportedly killed civilians to inflate their rebel body count in an effort to appear more successful.

Although nongovernment organizations (NGOs) have tracked the practice for years, many in Colombia are just now waking up to news about the systematic killings. As Colombian government officials act to purge military officers implicated in the killings and create a monitoring program, the padded body counts have put the military's methods under close scrutiny.

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My Comment: The 800 lb gorilla in the room that everyone is now talking about.