Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Mexico drug war sees military-type combat, US says
14 Apr 2008 23:44:30 GMT
 Source: Reuters
MEXICO CITY, April 14 (Reuters) - Mexico's drug war has escalated as cartels launch military-style attacks on security forces with heavy weaponry, the U.S. State Department warned on Monday.

Americans should be careful when visiting northern Mexican towns near the U.S. border like Tijuana, where dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped or murdered in 2007, it said in a travel alert.

Other towns like Ciudad Juarez, just south of El Paso, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas state have seen bloody battles between police and smugglers.

"Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades," the alert said.

President Felipe Calderon has been locked in a war with drug cartels since taking office in Dec. 2006. Last year, drug killings exceeded 2,500 and are already above 850 so far this year.

Calderon has deployed some 25,000 soldiers and federal police to fight cartels in drug hot spots across Mexico.

"Criminals are armed with a wide array of sophisticated weapons. In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles," the State Department added.

The drug gangs are also fighting among themselves. The most bitter rivalry is between the Gulf Cartel from northeastern Mexico and an alliance of traffickers from the northwestern state of Sinaloa that is headed by Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman. (Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  ADRA SHOWCASES SUCCESS STORY AT UNITED NATIONS
ADRA - International

•  News feature: CWS, other NGOs expanding 'Sphere' of influence -- of quality in disaster response
CWS

•  Mercy Corps Calls for Greater Response to Dire Humanitarian Situation in Iraq
Mercy Corps

•  Experts push for greater advocacy before disaster strikes
CWS

•  Donated medicines save lives
Medical Teams International - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Mexico drug war sees military-type combat, US says

•  Amnesty details world executions, calls for action

•  Washington school children celebrate Dalai Lama

•  UDPATE 2-Bush releases $200 million in emergency food aid

•  Israel snubs Carter, declines security help

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
Mexico drug war sees military-type combat, US says (1 minute ago)

Amnesty details world executions, calls for action (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
MEDIAWATCH: What happens to Somalia's refugees after Mogadishu? (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
ADRA SHOWCASES SUCCESS STORY AT UNITED NATIONS (1 minute ago)

Blogs
Why are tortillas now tied to oil prices? (1 minute ago)

Maps
MAP: Global flood locations week ending Feb 14,2008 (1 minute ago)


Country information

Facts & figures
Mexico United States of America

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-04-11T043656Z_01_HNR12R_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-DRUGS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR12R.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-04-04T231911Z_01_HNR04_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-DRUGS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-04-04T231817Z_01_HNR03_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-DRUGS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-04-04T231650Z_01_HNR02_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-DRUGS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-04-04T231420Z_01_HNR01_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-DRUGS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR01.htm

A Mexican soldier stands guard in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 10, 2008. Hundreds of camouflage-clad Mexican troops patrolled in Ciudad Juarez to quell a surge in drug ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Mon Apr 14 23:41:33 2008