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U.S. Extraditions Raise Concerns in Colombia
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None has elaborated as much as Veloza, who joined the paramilitary movement as a foot soldier and later became the head of two powerful, well-trained militias.
Since he began testifying, he has outlined how retired Gen. Rito Alejo del Río carefully coordinated operations with paramilitary commanders and how foreign companies hired paramilitary groups to kill and intimidate union workers. The militias he ran killed 6,000 people, the attorney general's office said.
In the interview, Veloza said he expected to be extradited -- a possibility that may be delayed six months after Iguarán pleaded with the government to hold off. "My position there will be the same: to talk there about everything I know," Veloza said.
Veloza spoke about the evolution of paramilitarism into widespread savagery, such as beheading villagers. Though many commanders have said the violence was necessary to push back the rebels, Veloza estimated that 90 percent of victims had no ties to guerrillas.
"You have to now just tell the truth," he said. "We are not victims. We are victimizers."
Staff writer Del Quentin Wilber in Washington contributed to this report.
