Hundreds of heavily armed vigilantes have seized a key stronghold of a Mexican drug cartel.
Fierce gunfire erupted as members of the so-called self-defence group, riding in more than 100 pickup trucks, entered the western town of Nueva Italia, in Michoacan state, disarmed local police and surrounded the city hall.
At least two vigilantes were wounded in the ensuing battle with presumed members of the Knights Templar cartel.
Jaime Ortiz, a 47-year-old farmer and vigilante leader said: "They shot at us from two locations and the clash lasted around an hour-and-a-half."
Both federal police and soldiers were reported to have been present in the town during the clashes, but did not intervene.
Authorities later reported finding the bodies of two men hanging from a bridge on a highway leading to the town.
It was not immediately clear whether the killings were related to the vigilantes' advance, although Mexican cartels are known to have carried out a number of hangings.
The vigilantes have now surrounded the farming hub of Apatzingan, considered to be the Knights Templar's main stronghold, and are expected to advance in the coming days.
The self-defence group, which first emerged over a year ago, has grown in strength in recent months, taking control of several communities in Michoacan state in an effort to regain territory from the Knights Templar.
Members say they were motivated by the local police's inability or unwillingness to end drug-related crime including murder, kidnappings and extortion rackets.
In May, President Enrique Pena Nieto announced he was sending thousands of federal police officers and soldiers to the state to quell violence, although little success has been reported so far.
Michoacan State Governor Fausto Vallejo has formally asked the government for more assistance to deal with drug-related crime.
He said new "co-ordinated actions" with the federal government were to be announced on Monday.
The federal government has classified self-defence units as illegal, with many members carrying high-calibre weapons only permitted for military use.
It is, however, yet to take any action against them.
Critics of the vigilante group suggest it could be backed by a rival drug cartel – something the group fiercely denies.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Mexico Vigilantes Seize Town From Drug Cartel
Dengan url
http://jidatlancip.blogspot.com/2014/01/mexico-vigilantes-seize-town-from-drug.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Mexico Vigilantes Seize Town From Drug Cartel
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Mexico Vigilantes Seize Town From Drug Cartel
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar