Anglo American has been accused of profiting from the persecution, intimidation and killing of miners in Colombia who oppose the company's operations. The international charity War on Want says in a report released yesterday that Anglo American and its subsidiaries benefited from army operations in areas where the company is prospecting, which have forced families off their land and intimidated community leaders...Kedahda's [part of AngloGold Ashanti] director of security, acknowledged that the company had two platoons from Colombia's army's 5th brigade "on loan" to protect an exploration operation in the region...[and that] the firm was unaware of the persecution of community leaders by the military. He said the complaints against AngloGold Ashanti came from "people out there with an agenda against big mining and big business". "There's a perception that because we're in a certain area there's going to be violence but the truth is they are violent areas anyway".