BOGOTÁ, Colombia -- A "black year," is how the local press has described the series of scandals battering the Colombian army in recent months. In an unprecedented address to the nation last month, Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe, urged citizens to restore their faith in the country's armed forces after the head of the army issued a public statement tentatively accusing his own troops of staging terrorist attacks in Bogotá days before the May presidential elections. The attacks were originally blamed on guerrilla groups. General Mario Montoya, head of the army, said that there was evidence to suggest that soldiers and two officers had participated in the car bomb that exploded in the capital, killing a civilian and injuring 19 soldiers. He said blaming the guerrillas, "didn't correspond to the reality."
Spate of Army Scandals Shocks Colombia
