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FARC statement on the capture of U.S. soldier Kevin Scott Sutay

By Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Revolutionarily Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Communiqué: Captured North-American soldier Kevin Scott Sutay

The Secretariat of the Central High Command of the FARC-EP informs to the national and international public opinion that on June 20, 2013 in the municipality Retorno, Guaviare, was captured the American soldier Kevin Scott Sutay, born in the city of New York, according to the passport no. 488667176, issued on February 3, 2012, he had with him when he was detained by guerrilla units.

The aforementioned U.S. citizen claims to have been a member of the U.S. Navy since November 17, 2009 until March 22, 2013 and by his own account he was involved in the war in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011 where he served as anti-explosives expert, specialist in demining, as part of the company 541 ST of the 54 TN engineering battalion.

His entry into Colombia was on June 8, 2013, following the route Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Bogota, San Jose del Guaviare, headquarters of the Barrancón military base, known from long ago because of its U.S. military presence.

The capture of soldier Kevin shows the active participation in the field of U.S. mercenaries in military and counter-insurgency operations in which they appear under the euphemism of contractors, a privatized form of imperial intervention forces, typical of the era of capitalist globalization, which allows them to exploit another side of the business of war, with less political cost for their campaigns of aggression and predation against the people.

Criminal business, of which President Santos, his defense minister and generals, would like to be part, announcing from the rooftops the signing of a cooperation agreement with the NATO, which positions Colombia as a provider of such mercenary forces available for intervention plans and imperial looting in every corner of the planet.

In spite of the right that assists us to keep the soldier Kevin Scott as a prisoner of war, we have taken the political decision to release him as a gesture that is part of the atmosphere of the peace talks being held in Havana with the Colombian government, to come to an agreement to end the social and armed conflict in our country.

To this end we request the integration of a humanitarian commission headed by Senator Piedad Cordoba, a delegate of the community of Saint Egidio and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Colombian jungle, July 19, 2013.

Central Secretariat of the FARC-EP.

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