US denies intention of sending troops to Colombia

The US Embassy to Colombia denied on Friday the remarks by a senior US official that Washington was planning to send troops to the country to help fight illegal armedgroups.

"The United States has neither plans nor intentions to send US troops to Colombia," the embassy said in a communique released here.

The declaration was made to deny previous statements by Coffer Black, coordinator of the US State Department's anti-terror office,who said Washington would support with military forces in fights against Colombian illegal armed groups.

The US government "will continue to support the programs of theColombian government with military assistance and training" but would not send troops, said the embassy.

Colombia has been locked in a four-decade civil war, the longest in Latin America, in which government forces, leftist guerrillas and far-right paramilitarists fight one another. The conflicts kill 3,500 people on average every year.

Colombia has received more than 2 billion US dollars in military aid from the United States. It is the third largest recipient of US military assistance after Israel and Egypt over the past three years.

Source: Xinhua