Venezuela's Maduro Denies Sheltering Colombian Rebels

Caracas (Venezuela) Oct 1 (AFP) Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that Caracas would not tolerate the presence of Colombian rebels on its territory, after Bogota gave the UN alleged evidence of its support for leftist guerrillas.

"We don't accept any armed groups, of any badge, on Venezuelan territory. This is an order I've given to the armed forces," Maduro told a news conference in Caracas.

He said the order was "fully" carried out during recent military exercises involving thousands of Venezuelan forces that heightened tensions with its neighbor.

Bogota has long accused Maduro's socialist regime of giving leftist rebels a refuge, and last week, Colombian President Ivan Duque said he gave the United Nations photographic evidence that Venezuela was sheltering ELN rebels and FARC dissidents.

However, some of the photos in the 128 page dossier -- including one purportedly showing guerrillas indoctrinating children in Venezuela's Tachira state -- were found to have been taken in Colombia.

"Duque was a shame, a disgrace, at the United Nations," Maduro told reporters.

He accused Colombia of continuing to train "mercenaries and terrorists" to overthrow his government.

Referring to Colombian newspaper reports that the head of military intelligence would be sacked over the gaffe, Maduro accused the Bogota government of abandoning its own military chiefs. (AFP)

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