WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - Military conflict between Venezuela and Colombia is unlikely, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday, despite the deployment of Venezuelan forces to the border.

"My personal view is that there's relatively little likelihood of military conflict," Gates told reporters.

Asked if the U.S. government or military would assist Colombia -- its closest ally in the region -- in any armed conflict, Gates said, "The Colombians can take care of themselves."

Venezuela on Wednesday said it deployed tanks and air and sea forces toward the Colombian border, escalating tensions over Bogota's weekend raid inside another South American neighbor, Ecuador, to kill Colombian leftist rebels.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, long a political foe of Washington, has in the past raised the specter of a U.S. attack against his country. (Reporting by Kristin Roberts, Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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