ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Salvatore Mancuso By Daniel Edgar The following is a translation of an open letter from Salvatore Mancuso to the ultra-right wing presidential candidate in Colombia, Ivan Duque, protégé of former president (from 2002 to 2010) Alvaro Uribe. Salvatore Mancuso was one of the most notorious paramilitary commanders from the late 1980s until their official demobilization in 2005. He was extradited to the United States several years later in contravention of the terms of the accord pursuant to which the main paramilitary groups formally agreed to demobilize. *** Mr Iván Duque Márquez, Esteemed Doctor, I was extradited to the United States during the government of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, in order to avoid [the possibility that we might reveal information about] our patron and all of his associates. We were condemned for crimes against humanity, of which you are very familiar, the abundant cases of massacres, selective assassinations, etc., and I was only convicted for drug traffick...

FILE IMAGE: REUTERS/USAF/Tech. Sgt. Taylor Worley/Handout via Reuters Early on June 18, the Syrian state-run news agecny SANA accused the US-led coalition of striking government forces’ position near the Syrian border town of al-Bukamal. According to the SANA’s report citing a military sources, US-led coalition warplanes carried out strikes on a position in the village of al-Hiri, located southeast of al-Bukamal. “ The new aggression comes three days after that the Syrian army liberated an area extending from the road of Haqel al-Wared (field of roses), al-M’aezleh and al-Tammah, to Ibn Muwain’e with 40 km-long axis  and combed an area estimated at 2000 square kilometers in al-Mayadeen western Badiya. The coalition has been targeting the military positions in  a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale of the terrorist organizations  due to the achievements of the Syrian army. The field reports confirm that  Washington provides Daesh organization...