A smuggler carries a washbowl on his way to the Tachira river that connects Venezuela with Colombia, in San Antonio, Venezuela, on November 9, 2009. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged his military leaders to prepare 'for war' and to ready citizens to 'defend the homeland' as tensions mount over fractious ties with neighboring Colombia. The comments come at a tense time for the region as Colombia signs a controversial military agreement with the United States to let US forces use seven military bases in Colombia for anti-drug operations. Chavez has repeatedly voiced deep fears of US encroachment in the region. Getty Images logo Getty Images 27 months ago

A smuggler carries a washbowl on his way to the Tachira river that connects Venezuela with Colombia, in San Antonio, Venezuela, on November 9, 2009. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged his military leaders to prepare 'for war' and to ready citizens to 'defend the homeland' as tensions mount over fractious ties with neighboring Colombia. The comments come at a tense time for the region as Colombia signs a controversial military agreement with the United States to let US forces use seven military bases in Colombia for anti-drug operations. Chavez has repeatedly voiced deep fears of US encroachment in the region.

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