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Colombia denounces Venezuelan border crossing

September 19, 2015

A group of about 15 Venezuelan soldiers has fired weapons inside Colombian territory, the Colombian army says. The members of Venezuelan National Guard were reportedly pursing a suspect across the border.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GYyY
Grenze zwischen Venezuela und Kolumbien geschlossen
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Mendoza

The Venezuelan forces went nearly one kilometer (0.6 miles) deep into Colombia chasing down a civillian on motorbike on Friday, according to Colombian military sources.

The National Guard members "fired shots with long guns and carried out the pursuit in a 4x4 vehicle," the Colombian army said in a statement.

After the suspect entered a house, the Venezuelan soldiers burned his motorcycle and returned to Venezuelan territory, the statement added.

The residents of the rural La Guajira province said that they were mistreated by the Venezuelan troops, and shell casing and remains of the motorcycle were discovered at the scene.

The Colombian forces sent reinforcements to the region. There was no immediate comment from the Venezuelan government.

Fighter jet crashed

Tensions between the two neighboring countries have been growing for weeks, after Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro ordered a part of the border to be closed and some 1,500 Colombians to be deported in an alleged crackdown on crime.

Another 20,000 Colombians left for fear of deportation.

According to information from Maduro's government, the border block was triggered after Colombian paramilitaries attacked Venezuelan troops, who were conducting an anti-smuggling operation.

Colombia is a major cocaine producer, turning out some 300 tones annually, and the cartels smuggle some of the drug through Venezuela.

However, many citizens near Venezuela's border also smuggle everyday goods, such as toothpaste and gasoline, into Venezuela. The socialist government of president Maduro controls supplies of many different products, creating huge price discrepancies.

Earlier on Friday, a Venezuelan fighter jet crashed near Colombian border while monitoring an "illicit aircraft" likely linked with drug trafficking. Both pilots were killed.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.

War for votes

Critics of president Maduro accuse him of using border incidents to whip up nationalistic sentiment and secure more votes for the key parliamentary elections in December.

Maduro and his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos are set to discuss the dispute in Ecuador on Monday.

dj/rc (Reuters, AP, AFP)