Items About Areas That
Could Break Out Into War
October 15, 2008: For the second time in a week, Shining Path
terrorists attacked an army patrol. This time the leftist rebels killed two
soldiers and wounded five. The Shining Path, believed destroyed fifteen years
ago, but diehards hung on in the jungle, and now are growing again, propelled
by drug money.
October 11, 2008: Drug trafficking has
once again re-energized Peru's guerrilla gangs. Shining Path gunmen associated
with drug traffickers ambushed four Peruvian military trucks near Vizcatan, in
the Aprumac-Ene river valley, killing 19 people. The firefight went on for
hours after the ambush. The military refers to the jungle river area as the
Vrae (Spanish acronym). The Vrae's chief crop is coca leaves. Security forces
increased their presence in the Vrae region in August, and began what the
government called "offensive operations" against Shining Path camps in the
area.
The Peruvian drug trade links several
wars. On September 8, police arrested 20 people they accused of working with
Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. They also seized two and a half tons of cocaine in the
same operation. The national origin of the people arrested tells a
geo-strategic story: 13 Peruvians, three Colombians, four Mexicans. Shining
Path to FARC to Sinaloa? Probably. The drugs go north, and so does the drug
network.
How strong is the Shining Path? In 2006
the government estimated Shining Path fielded around 300 fighters, but no one
was certain. The police did keep turning up new weapons, likely paid for by
drug lords. Now the government estimates Shining Path has 600 fighters. These
fighters aren't rebels. They are mercenaries serving in a mercenary combat
force tasked with guarding coca fields.
