The mystery surrounding the disappearance of a co-founder of Colombia's feared right-wing paramilitary groups in the aftermath of a gunbattle deepened with a paramilitary commander denying an attack took place.
Carlos Castano, who co-founded the outlawed paramilitary groups two decades ago to wage war against leftist rebels, has not been heard from since last Friday.
On that day, rival paramilitary members attacked a ranch in northwest Colombia where Castano was staying, killed at least six of his bodyguards and forced Castano to flee, Assistant Attorney General Andres Ramirez has said, citing an account from a wounded bodyguard.
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In Santa Fe de Ralito, a paramilitary stronghold close to the ranch where the shooting on Friday occurred, local paramilitary commanders said they did not know what really happened. But nobody ruled out that Castano might have been killed.
Castano had been a leading force behind peace negotiations with the Colombian government aimed at disarming all the paramilitary fighters - said to number up to 13,000 - by the end of 2005.
However, the AUC on March 31 announced that Castano was no longer part of the peace negotiating team. That further isolated Castano, who had publicly lashed out at other paramilitary leaders for trafficking drugs - even though Castano himself is being sought in a U.S. indictment for smuggling tons of cocaine to the United States.
Is anyone there not smuggling drugs? Does anyone think Colombia will have peace as long as the drug war continues?
BTW, never spell the country 'Columbia.' Please.