Exhuming the past: ex-Colombian soldiers help recover victims of their own crimes

Exhuming the past: ex-Colombian soldiers help recover victims of their own crimestoggle caption Nathalia Angarita for NPRNEIVA, Colombia – As a government task force digs up mass graves in the search for civilians illegally executed during Colombia's guerrilla conflict, they are getting some hands-on help from the perpetrators of these war crimes. He admitted that during the mid-2000s soldiers under his command shot dead 63 civilians and reported them as guerrillas killed in action. "In their eagerness to show results, soldiers grabbed innocent people and killed them," Mario told NPR. Now, former soldiers helping with the exhumations are getting a stark look at the damage they've done. toggle caption Nathalia Angarita for NPRtoggle caption Nathalia Angarita for NPRRelatives of the victims have been closely monitoring the exhumations hoping for information about their loved ones.