(above) Soldiers patrol the town of Filadelfia in Bolivia's Pando state,
Friday, Sept. 19, 2008. Bolivia's President Evo Morales says groups
organized by his political opponents machine-gunned 16 of his poor
Indian supporters in a Sept. 11 clash. (AP Photo/Boris Heger)

Morales: Second Bolivian region expels US aid
September 27, 2008 - Associated Press

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — President Evo Morales says a second Bolivian region has asked the United States to withdraw its aid programs as diplomatic relations between the two countries continue to sour.

Morales on Saturday congratulated local indigenous groups in the southern Bolivia province of Chuquisaca for becoming "territory free of ... American imperialism" after deciding this week to expel the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

He did not offer futher details.

Earlier this year Bolivian farmers asked USAID to leave the coca-growing Chapare region.

Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador earlier this month, accusing him of encouraging the leftist leader's conservative opposition. The U.S. ambassador has denied the allegations.