The ready availability of weapons has enabled extremist groups, whether motivated by ethnic, national, religious or criminal agendas, to pursue their goals by armed conflict, terrorism and violence. The Spanish-language television network Univision recently carried an extensive report, the first ever permitted, on the Guatemalan Army's rigorous counterinsurgency training at the Kaibil training center. The fatigue uniforms are patterned after those of the U.S. Army, and much U.S. equipment was evident in the report. In garrison, the trainees are shown being fed in a mess hall, and they must complete a meal in less than three minutes. In the jungle, they are given no food or water and must forage to survive.
Motivation also appears to be a major ingredient in the program.
Each barracks is named for a Kaibil who was killed in combat. The school also instills a sense of comradeship. While the training proves too demanding for some, it was not indicated what percentage drops out. The most common injuries were said to be broken bones and dehydration. The last man in the patrol walks backward and erases footprints.