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Colombian Special Police Force arrive after fighting with leftist guerrillas - Source: Reuters -
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An Ecuadorean judge ordered the arrest of a former Colombian official involved in a 2008 bombing raid carried out in Ecuador, but Bogota refused to recognise his jurisdiction, intensifying cross-border diplomatic tensions.
In March of last year, then-Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos ordered the bombardment of a rebel camp set up on Ecuador's side of the border. Among those killed in the raid was Raul Reyes, a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Ecuador's leftist government broke off diplomatic relations over the bombing mission, saying that Colombia violated its sovereignty. An Ecuadorean judge from the Amazon region where the raid took place ordered the arrest of Santos on Monday.
Colombia shot back with a statement saying that the judge had no right to order the arrest of Santos or anyone else involved in the bombardment.
"We cannot allow judicial or political terrorism to deprive Colombians of our right to recover our security," President Alvaro Uribe said late on Wednesday. He is popular among voters for his US-backed crackdown on the cocaine-financed FARC.
"The Colombian government will not let them touch former minister Santos," the president said.
Uribe is flirting with the idea of running for a third term next year if his supporters can change the constitution to allow him another campaign. Santos is considered Colombia's top alternative presidential candidate should Uribe not run.
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