Saturday, May 23, 2015

In Mexico, more than 40 died in a shootout with police – The World

The Mexican federal police in front of a ranch where gunmen had taken refuge after a clash with security forces in Tanhuato.

At least 43 people died in Mexico Friday, May 22, during a of the deadliest clashes in the country’s history between gunmen and federal police. The victims included 42 gunmen and federal police, according to a federal official.

According to the police account, the confrontation, which lasted three hours, began Friday morning at Tanhuato, in the state of Michoacan, about 500 kilometers from Mexico City. The security forces (local and federal police and soldiers) have responded to a call reporting the presence of armed men at a ranch.

On their way there, they were targeted by gunmen in a truck who subsequently took refuge in the ranch. Individuals already on the scene opened fire in turn.

According to the police, an investigation is underway. Three men have been arrested, 36 semi-automatic weapons and two lighter, a grenade launcher and a gun were seized

Read the interview. “Mexico is struggling with narco-politics “

The municipality of Tanhuato is near the state of Jalisco, where the government has made in recent weeks an important feature for the fight against drug-trafficking cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (Jalisco New Generation) which multiplied the spectacular attacks against the authorities. The cartel has killed at least 20 police officers since March. The 1 st May, the day of the launch of the drug operation, three soldiers died after their helicopter had been shot at. In a series of organized attacks that day, the gang had also set fire to vehicles, banks and gas stations around Guadalajara, capital of Jalisco and the second largest city of Mexico. For Mr. Jara, “it is very likely” that armed men who opened fire on Friday are part of the same cartel.

On June 30, the Mexican army announced that it had participated in a similar confrontation in which 22 suspects were killed and one injured soldier. A survey by the Associated Press (AP) was later revealed that several suspects had been killed after surrendering. The Commissioner Rubido national security assured the AP that NGOs were immediately dispatched to the scene of the shooting to investigate.

Friday’s clash was one of the worst that ‘Mexico has experienced since launching in late 2006 by Felipe Calderon, then president of a major military offensive against the cartels. The state of Michoacan was included in the list of priority states of this new security strategy and remains a challenge for Mexican security forces

Read also:. The balance of power between Mexican cartels

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