[Breitbart] Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sparked controversy for defending his country’s soldiers after a video showed them retreating from a convoy of cartel members. The president claimed the escape protected the lives of cartel gunmen.The issue began this week when Mexico’s military announced operations in Michoacan. Hours later, a video became viral showing groups of cartel members in SUVs chasing soldiers out of the town of Nueva Italia.
Soon after, Lopez Obrador said during a news conference that they must protect his federal troops, but they must also protect members of criminal organizations.
“They are human beings, this is a different policy a completely different policy,” the president said. “To me, that was a responsible attitude.”
The comments earned Lopez Obrador criticism from all sectors of Mexican society.
“Sir, he who mutilates, rapes, dismembers, murders women and kids, and burns entire towns, etc., has lost all trace of humanity,” said Adrian Lebaron, whose daughter and grandchildren were killed by cartel gunmen in the border state of Sonora. “You leave in two years, don’t leave behind a country of impunity.”
On Friday morning, Lopez Obrador doubled down on his comments claiming that he was attacked by critics for his comments about preserving life.
“How are we going to want for someone to lose their life?” the president said.
On Friday morning, the president’s spokesman, Jesus Ramirez Cuevas, said that the effort to push the soldiers away was done to stop raids on cartel laboratories. He said that the military was successful in raiding 5 meth labs and 19 marijuana plantations in Nueva Italia.