Venezuela plans military bases for Colombia border

VENEZUELA: Venezuela plans to build five military bases along its border with Colombia.

Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami says the bases will help President Hugo Chavez’s government fight drug smuggling, extortion and kidnapping.

The bases will run along the Sierra de Perija, a mountain range in western Venezuela that follows its porous 1,400-mile (2,300-kilometer) border with Colombia.

Chavez says Venezuela is doing everything possible to crack down on Colombian leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and other criminal groups that operate along the border. El Aissami announced plans to build the bases while visiting the region on Sunday.

Caracas, Monday, AP