No bodies, no answers in Colombia

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The Organization of American States announced Friday it will form an international forensic commission to investigate the killings last month of 11 Colombian legislators held hostage by leftist guerillas since 2002.

The lawmakers were reportedly killed in a clash with an unidentified military group, rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said. One legislator survived the alleged confrontation.

President Alvaro Uribe denied that the victims died in a bungled rescue attempt by Colombian forces, saying there were no such military operation on June 18, the date the rebels said the clash occurred.

Since then, the FARC has apologized for the deaths and promised to return the bodies. But a month later, there is still no sign of the victims’ remains.

Colombians are keen to find out whether the killings show evidence of a military crossfire, or, as Uribe insists, summary execution.

The OAS said the forensic commission would begin work as soon as the bodies are found.

Posted by Chris Kraul in Bogota