U.S. MILITARY EXPANDS ITS ROLE

TOLEMAIDA MILITARY BASE, Colombia - In one of the more visible signs of the
growing U.S. military role in Colombia's battle against guerrillas linked
to drug trafficking, about a dozen American soldiers are training a new
anti-narcotics battalion here.

They are among the 160 U.S. servicemen and women and 30 civilian Department
of Defense employees assigned to Colombia. Their missions range from
eradicating drug crops to installing and using sophisticated spying
equipment to operating reconnaissance planes.

The U.S. military presence in Colombia first became noticeable in 1993,
when humanitarian missions were sent to build roads and help with other
infrastructure and health projects. Today, the Defense Department has from
175 to 200 people in Colombia at any given time.

When Colombia received certification from the United States in March that
it was a full, cooperating partner in the war on drugs, many restrictions
on aid were eased.

The U.S. presence has grown as the fight against drugs has become
increasingly intertwined with the 35-year war between rebels and the
Colombian government.

More than 30,000 Colombians have been killed in the fighting, most of them
civilians in massacres by rebels, rival right-wing paramilitary forces or
the Colombian army. Nearly 1 million people have been driven from their homes.