Colombia: February 26, 2003

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The US has sent at least 150 troops to help with the search for three Americans kidnapped by FARC rebels. This means that the number of US troops in Colombia exceeds the Congressionally mandated ceiling of  400 (there were already 260 US Army Special Forces in Colombia). It's expected that the ceiling will be raised. FARC is calling their three American captives "prisoners of war" and insisting that they are CIA agents. The US denies this, and the three were apparently working on an anti-drug project. The CIA does have people working throughout South America, collecting information. The troops sent to search for the kidnappers apparently include intelligence experts and commandos. There are also a number of FBI and DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) personnel in the country.