Members of the United Self-Defense of Colombia (AU

SANTANDER, COLOMBIA: Members of the United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC) raise their rifles 14 June 2001 in the mountains of the northen department of Santander in Colombia on the border with Venezuela. The new leaders of Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries said they will intensify their assaults on Marxist guerrillas, and they renewed criticism of government-sponsored peace talks. The AUC, with 8,100 men at arms, battles the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), with 16,500 troops, and the National Liberation Army (ELN), with 4,500 troops. The group has been critical of government efforts to negotiate with the leftist rebels. The Colombian government has refused to negotiate with the AUC, calling it a terrorist group. AFP PHOTO/Efrain PATINO (Photo credit should read EFRAIN PATINO/AFP via Getty Images)