Colombia beefs up security ahead of general elections
Colombia's military chiefs on Friday ordered the tightening of security in key electoral districts by deploying 7,500 troops there ahead of upcoming general elections scheduled for May 28.

Army Commander Mario Montoya Uribe said the soldiers, trained in fighting guerrillas, would protect polling stations in the provinces of Meta, Caqueta, Huila, Arauca, North Santander, Tolima,Putumayo and Cundinamarca, where incidents of chaos had been reported.

"We hope that with these special reinforcements... we can give better coverage, so that all Colombians feel safe, and we can neutralize any terrorist attack," Montoya said.

For the deployment, Colombia had suspended all training courses for army officers. It had also sent staff from two new mobile brigades to assist the task.

The elections will be overseen by international observers sent by the Organization of American States and the European Union. The international observers will be in more than 200 settlements over 13 provinces of the country during the elections.