STRONG STAND BY U.S. SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE

Human rights watchers have long complained that the United States
looks the other way when Colombian soldiers abuse innocent civilians.
For Washington, critics allege, the objective is to win the drug war
in the South American nation, even if innocent people get hurt in the
process. However, at least for now, the Bush administration is proving
the critics wrong.

In a move that sends a strong warning to Colombia and other Latin
America allies, the United States cut off all assistance to a
Colombian air force unit accused of bombing a village four years ago.
The blast in Santo Domingo, part of an operation to chase leftist
guerrillas from a rural border area, killed 18 civilians.

The suspended aid consisted mainly of training costs and $2 million
worth of fuel, a small amount compared to the U.S. aid package of $1.3
billion known as Plan Colombia.

Still, the United States made the right call because, even though
Washington fully supports Colombia's drug war, the killing of innocent
civilians is not only reprehensible, it's counterproductive.

The Colombian government needs the help of the general population to
defeat the drug cartels and three armed groups that have terrorized
the country for years. However, through the years, the civilian
support has been weak, mainly because of numerous reports of military
abuses.

Cutting off aid to the Colombian air force unit won't stop the
military abuses right away, but this strong U.S. human rights stand
will go a long way.