Colombian army wants more troops

The Colombian armed forces have called for the recruitment of ten-thousand more soldiers -- a ten per cent increase in the country's military capability.

The deputy defence minister, Bernardo Ortiz Bravo, told the BBC the extra troops were intended to help strengthen and modernise the Colombian armed forces.

He denied the mobilisation was linked to a decision earlier this week by rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, to suspend peace talks with the government.

As part of a programme to turn the Colombian army into a fully professional force, conscription is being phased out gradually, with the new troops eventually expected to replace the conscripts.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service