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Colombian Special Police Force arrive after fighting with leftist guerrillas - Source: Reuters -
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Venezuelan soldiers blocked the main border crossing with
Colombia after President Hugo Chavez's government said
paramilitaries were behind the killing of two soldiers.
In the latest violence in an often lawless region between the
Andean neighbours, a gang of four men on motorbikes ambushed and
shot dead the Venezuelan soldiers at a checkpoint in western
Tachira state on Monday.
Venezuela blamed Colombian paramilitaries for the murders,
ratcheting up the diplomatic feud between Chavez's leftist
government and the administration of Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe, who is Washington's main ally in the region.
"Sadly, our two men were brutally murdered by groups operating in
the frontier zone, trying to spread fear and create an atmosphere
of insecurity," local army head Franklin Marquez said.
The pair were shot in the back in apparent revenge for a
crackdown by security forces, he added.
Paramilitary gangs, originally set up to fight Colombian
guerrillas, operate in the border area, as do rebels, and a host of
criminal gangs trafficking gasoline and drugs.
Witnesses in the Venezuelan border town of San Antonio said dozens
of soldiers with an armoured car and machine gun had taken over the
road to the nearest Colombian locality, Cucuta.
While large queues of cars formed on both sides, hundreds of locals
crossed by foot under a bridge, loaded with suitcases and bags of
goods, witnesses said.
Visiting Tachira, Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizalez said
there was no formal closure of the border, but we are obliged to
take strict control measures.
Venezuelan authorities said one man had been arrested for Monday's
incident.
The killing of the soldiers was the latest in a string of incidents
on the border, including arrests on both sides, and the discovery
of 10 corpses of men whom Venezuela said were mainly Colombian
paramilitaries.
In a major political spat, Caracas is holding three men - two
Colombians and one Venezuelan - charged with spying for Bogota.
Chavez, who says Colombia has sold out to the United States, cut
ties and reduced trade earlier this year.
Colombia's Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said his government was
ready to talk with Venezuela to reduce tensions.
"The door is open," he said during a visit to Ecuador.
"We know there are sensitive issues with that country, but we we
want to have the best relations."
