Venezuela’s Chavez backing leftist guerrillas in Mexico

June 1, 2010 05:33


“Chavez has been funding groups like these in Mexico and throughout Latin America,” said a U.S. official with knowledge of the group and its operations. “These groups are nothing more than terrorist organizations and members have connected to other narco-trafficking organizations in Mexico, creating a very dangerous matrix.”

By: Sara A. Carter at Washington Examiner

A leftist guerrilla movement responsible for many kidnappings and attacks inside Mexico is secretly receiving funding from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, U.S. and Mexican intelligence officials told The Washington Examiner.

The group, called the Ejercito Popular Revolucionario (EPR), is “a terrorist organization bent on destabilizing Mexico. … Splinters of the group are also adding to the problem,” said a Mexican official who requested anonymity. The group, which announced its existence in 1996, claimed responsibility for the 2007 bombings of the Mexican government’s Pemex oil pipelines, along with several other bombing attempts of a bank and Sears department stores in cities throughout Mexico.

“Chavez has been funding groups like these in Mexico and throughout Latin America,” said a U.S. official with knowledge of the group and its operations. “These groups are nothing more than terrorist organizations and members have connected to other narco-trafficking organizations in Mexico, creating a very dangerous matrix.”

Funding from drug cartels and leftist governments like the one in Caracas has enabled the group to mount a significant threat to Mexico and to become a concern for the United States, officials said.

FULL STORY



Help Make A Difference By Sharing These Articles On Facebook, Twitter And Elsewhere:

Interested In Further Reading? Click Here