Bogota - Colombia extradited to the United States on Tuesday 14 commanders of extreme-right paramilitary groups who were suspected of drug trafficking.

The extraditions were made possible because the government of conservative Colombian President Alvaro Uribe expelled the paramilitaries from a reinsertion programme that afforded them privileges under special legislation.

The controversial Law for Justice and Peace gave the leaders of the paramilitary United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) - which have now mostly demobilized - relatively mild penalties, of up to eight years in jail and protection from extradition.

The paramilitaries who were extradited Tuesday were said to have violated some of the provisions of the law, and Colombian Interior and Justice Minister Carlos Holguin said they were suspected of drug trafficking.

According to Colombian media, they had failed to provide reparations for their victims and they continued to commit crimes from jail.

Relatives of some of the thousands of civilian victims of the paramilitaries had tried to prevent their extradition. They fear that they may now never get the compensation from the paramilitaries' assets under the law.

According to human rights organizations, the paramilitaries are responsible for the deaths of at least 9,000 people, including civilians, leftist leaders, trade unionists and peasants.

The former paramilitaries expelled from the agreement face extradition or up to 40 years in jail in Colombia, according to the country's criminal code.

According to some observers, the extraditions could be convenient for the government by getting the paramilitary leaders out of the country and preventing them from making further revelations about ties between pro-government legislators and the paramilitaries. The scandal known as "Parapolitics" has already led to investigations against scores of legislators and other politicians. (dpa)