WASHINGTON -- According to the U.S. government's own statistics, the aims of U.S. policy in Colombia are not being met.

At the same time, the State Department is withholding certification of the Colombian military's human-rights record, owing to stalled rights cases involving the armed forces and their ties with paramilitary groups. In February, eight members of the San Jose de Apartado peace community, including women and children, were killed; the community asserts, and physical evidence points to the military's culpability.

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