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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| 7,000 Mexican Army Troops Deploy To Ciudad Juarez |
| 2009-03-07 |
| Ciudad Juarez has become synonymous with the violence and crime committed by the Mexican drug cartels. Over the past several years, countless numbers of women have disappeared or been killed, and in 2008 alone, two thousand people were murdered. Mexican officials moved 1,500 soldiers into the region to try to regain control of the city and say they plan on having 7,000 in place by the end of the week. Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said the troops were there to help support the local authorities, "Ciudad Juarez worries us deeply," he told Reuters. The city, located right on the border of the United States, is a key entry point for drug smuggling and rival gangs have been fighting for control of the area. Mora explained why the President and armed forces decided to take this drastic step, saying, "In areas where drug traffickers have a lot of influence, sadly there is a risk that they will have an interest in influencing the formation of public power, particularly the local authority. This is something that concerns us." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #6 I recall back in the dark days of 2006, we'd read State travel warnings or cables about C. Juarez alongside sit-reps from Ramadi, and laugh a bit, wondering when the NYT et al would start blaring about "war-torn" Mexico, etc. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2009-03-07 20:45 |
| #5 Bliss is OK. They've got the I-10 barrier protecting them. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-03-07 19:48 |
| #4 Hummm -- wonder what the alert level is at Fort Bliss? |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-03-07 19:46 |
| #3 Build the effing wall NOW!!!! Before Mexico breaks out into open civil war. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2009-03-07 18:49 |
| #2 "Because if you run the checkpoint, they will shoot you in the head." To bad she ain't talking about our checkpoints.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-07 17:23 |
| #1 From 4 Mar El Paso Times: "I advise you to stop" at army checkpoints, de la Rosa Hickerson, a member of the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission and a critic of Mexican President Felipe Calderón's war against the drug cartels, told a forum at University of Texas at El Paso last week. "Because if you run the checkpoint, they will shoot you in the head." |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-03-07 17:16 |